Lord Shiva does not need anyone’s protection, the Delhi High Court said on Wednesday while refusing to make the deity a party to a petition relating to removal of a temple constructed in an ‘unauthorised’ way on the Yamuna river bed. The court granted the society 15 days to remove the idols and other religious objects in the temple and shift them to some other shrine.
The court said Lord Shiva would be happier if the Yamuna river bed and flood plains are cleared of all encroachments and unauthorised construction. The High Court made the observations while refusing to set aside an order for demolition of the Pracheen Shiv Mandir situated at Geeta Colony close to the flood plains.
“The half-hearted plea by the counsel for the petitioner that Lord Shiva, being the deity of the temple, must be also impleaded in the present matter is a desperate attempt to give an altogether different colour to the entire dispute to subserve the vested interest of its members,” the court was quoted as saying by PTI.
“It goes without saying that Lord Shiva does not need our protection; rather, we, the people, seek his protection and blessings. There could be no iota of doubt that Lord Shiva would be happier if the Yamuna river bed and the flood plains areas are cleared of all encroachments and unauthorised construction,” the court further said.
The plea said that the temple acts as a hub of spiritual activities, drawing around 300 to 400 devotees regularly. It further said the petitioner society was registered in 2018 with the aim of upholding transparency, accountability and responsible management of the temple’s assets.
The court said the petitioner society has miserably failed to show any documents with regard to its title, right or interest over the land and there is no proof of the temple having any historical significance. “Mere fact that prayers are offered at the temple every day and for that matter there are special events on certain festive occasions does not convert the temple in question to a place of public significance,” it said.
