In a significant ruling that diverged in judicial opinions, the Supreme Court on Monday directed the burial of a pastor at a designated Christian burial ground, resolving a contentious dispute that has left the pastor’s body in a Chhattisgarh mortuary since January 7.
The bench, comprising Justice BV Nagarathna and Justice Satish Chandra Sharma, delivered a split decision regarding the burial site of the converted Christian pastor. Justice Nagarathna favored burial on the family’s private agricultural land, while Justice Sharma insisted on a designated site away from Chhindawada village.
Amid the ongoing dispute over the appropriate burial site, which saw the pastor’s body remain unburied for weeks, the Supreme Court opted not to escalate the matter to a larger bench. Instead, it mandated a burial 20 kilometers away from the village, at a site reserved for Christian burials, citing the “peculiar facts and circumstances of the case.”
The court has ordered the state government to ensure full security during the burial to prevent any untoward incidents, reflecting the tensions that have marked this case since its inception.
The backdrop of this legal battle involves Ramesh Baghel, the son of the deceased, who sought the court’s intervention after local disputes prevented the burial in the village graveyard. This area had been informally designated by the gram panchayat for different community burials, including a section for Christians where the pastor’s relatives were previously interred.
The situation escalated when some villagers vehemently opposed the pastor’s burial within village limits, threatening violence and forcing the family to seek legal recourse. The family faced opposition not only at the community graveyard but also against burying the pastor on their own land, prompting them to approach the authorities and eventually the judiciary.
