In a recent ruling, the Supreme Court has denied permission for conducting the ‘Urs’ festival at a demolished dargah in Gujarat’s Gir Somnath district, scheduled from February 1 to February 3. The decision was delivered by a bench comprising Justices B R Gavai and Augustine George Masih.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Gujarat authorities, informed the court that the land, which previously bore unauthorised constructions including temples, has been cleared of all encroachments. He emphasized that no activities, including Hindu religious rituals, were permitted on the site.
The plea for the ‘Urs’ festival, a traditional event held at the dargah for many years, was brought forth by the counsel for the applicant. It was argued that the authorities had only recently denied permission for the festival, disrupting a longstanding tradition. However, the bench stated that the application for conducting the festival could not be granted without addressing the main matter first.
