HC dismisses PIL demanding non-Hindus’ ban at Char Dham shrines

Dehradun: The Uttarakhand High Court dismissed a plea demanding a ban on non-Hindus from going to the Char Dham shrines on Friday. The PIL was filed by a resident of Uttarakhand, who demanded the ban on grounds of security at the shrines of Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri, Times of India reported.

The petitioner, Amand Swaroop, cited past attacks on Hindu shrines, Such as the 2002 Akshardham temple attacks in Gujarat, the 2010 bomb blast in Sheetla Ghat in Varanasi and the recent terror attack in Kashmir’s Pahalgam that killed 26 people, to demand security and restrictions on non-Hindus to the shrines. He also demanded a regulatory framework for access to the shrines.

According to him, the state should ensure consistent and robust security through out the Char Dham Yatra season and pointed out that Pahalgam is one of the starting point of the Yatra.

Then he suggested a mechanism to restrict non-Hindus from entering the four shrines, so that only pilgrims are allowed entry and reduce the “risk of desecration”.