The Calcutta High Court on Friday said that Durga Puja is one of the most secular festivals and was not a purely religious one.

“As is public knowledge, the Durga Puja Festival is not confined merely to the worship or religious offerings component of the incarnation of feminine power but also a melting pot of different cultures…Hence, there is as much an element of ceremony, cultural programmes, festival and fanfare involved as religious worship. In such sense, the Durga Puja Festival is much more secular in nature than a pure religious performance of a particular community and cannot, thus, be narrowed down to being a mere ‘religious offering’ of a particular community,” the High Court said.

Justice Sabyasachi Bhattacharyya made the remarks while ordering the authorities in Kolkata to permit an organisation to hold Durga Puja celebrations at a designated public ground -New Town Mela Ground – in the city.

“The site at which the Durga Puja Festival is sought to be held by the petitioners is not a street or a foot-path or even a playground but a specifically designated ground for holding fairs. Even the name “New Town Mela Ground” contains the term “Mela” which signifies “fair”. Thus, the premise of the argument of the respondents that the ground cannot be used for a Durga Puja Festival is erroneous. No intelligible
or reasonable differentia has been made out by the respondent Authorities between a Durga Puja Festival and ordinary fairs or other festivals designated to be held on the Mela Ground,” the judgement said.

The High Court refused to accept the argument of the authorities that the petitioners, under Article 25 of the Constitution, do not have any right to perform worship in public parks, roads, foot-paths, etc.