I thought they built a temple right in the middle of the court house! If they did, then yes, it won't be secularism that they followed.
But it's a democratic country alright, that's why questions like this can go to the court! Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T -----Original Message----- From: Chan Mahanta <cmaha...@gmail.com> Date: Thu, 10 Feb 2011 16:30:45 To: <dilipd...@yahoo.com> Cc: <assam@assamnet.org> Subject: Re: [Assam] Secularism--Desi Style I can understand the small town ways. Even big-town ways :-). But this was the state's High Court. And to add insult to injury, their lordships slapped the Rs. 20,000 fine on the plaintiff!! Only in Gujarat . But, I also remember how certain assamnetters attempted to defend Hindu Pujas to begin an engineering lab. test at IIT -M. On Feb 10, 2011, at 10:26 AM, Dilip Deka wrote: > I was about to post the news in the net when I saw your note. > I also started laughing when I read the news. But then again we have seen > similar argument in city councils in USA. It is hard to change the mind set > when one religious group has the absolute majority - Hindus in India and > Christians in USA. The argument depicts the religious practices as cultural > issues. > Dilip > > --- On Thu, 2/10/11, Chan Mahanta <cmaha...@gmail.com> wrote: > > From: Chan Mahanta <cmaha...@gmail.com> > Subject: [Assam] Secularism--Desi Style > To: "A Mailing list for people interested in Assam from around the world" > <assam@assamnet.org> > Date: Thursday, February 10, 2011, 9:41 AM > > I never cease to be amazed by Desi interpretations of "secularism". > > See below! > > cm > > > > http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Secularism-is-not-anti-god-Gujarat-HC/articleshow/7469120.cms > Secularism is not anti-god': Gujarat HC > Saeed Khan, Feb 10, 2011, 06.48pm IST > > Article > Comments (25) > > > > Tags:Public Interest Litigation|Gujarat High Court > > > AHMEDABAD: The Gujarat high court on Thursday dismissed a Public Interest > Litigation (PIL) that had challenged the performance of religious rituals in > the court campus. The court observed that "secularism" is not "anti-god." > > While dismissing the PIL, the high court has also slapped a penalty of Rs > 20,000 on the petitioner, Rajesh Solanki who is a Dalit activist. The court > raised doubts over bonafide intentions of the petitioner. > > Rajesh Solanki had filed the PIL questioning performance of Hindu religious > rituals on the high court campus on the ground that a public place should > maintain its secular credentials in a secular country. > > The PIL referred to the laying of foundation stone ceremony that had taken > place on the high court campus situated in Sola area of Ahmedabad on May 1 > last year. The function was to mark the expansion of the existing court > campus. > > The petition claimed that the court campus was a secular place and religious > rituals - Bhoomi-pujan followed by a prayer and chanting of shlokas - should > not be permitted, else the judiciary would lose its secular credentials in > the public eye. The petitioner sought the performance of rituals be declared > as unconstitutional by the high court. > > This PIL first came up for hearing before Chief Justice SJ Mukhopadhaya, who > refused to hear it saying that he too was part of the ceremony. Apart from > the chief justice, the governor and many Supreme Court and high court judges > were present during the function. > > Later the case was heard by a bench of Justice Jayant Patel and Justice JC > Upadhyay, who concluded that performance of rituals was intended for > betterment of mankind and hence it should be viewed in this context. > > Rejecting the contention of the petitioner to declare the act of rituals on > court campus as unconstitutional, the judges have observed that secularism is > not anti-God. Quoting ancient scriptures and judgments delivered by other > courts in relation to this idea, the court has concluded that the word > "dharma is not contradictory to secularism, if interpreted in a proper > manner". The court ruled out the contention that performance of religious > rituals on the foundation laying ceremony was a non-secular act. > > > Read more: 'Secularism is not anti-god': Gujarat HC - The Times of India > http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Secularism-is-not-anti-god-Gujarat-HC/articleshow/7469120.cms#ixzz1DZSZqNyx > _______________________________________________ > assam mailing list > assam@assamnet.org > http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org _______________________________________________ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org _______________________________________________ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
