{"id":332947,"date":"2024-10-14T10:00:12","date_gmt":"2024-10-14T04:30:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/?p=332947"},"modified":"2024-10-17T09:19:30","modified_gmt":"2024-10-17T03:49:30","slug":"every-citizen-has-right-to-access-temple-and-offer-prayers-raj-hc-quashes-fir-for-temple-scc-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2024\/10\/14\/every-citizen-has-right-to-access-temple-and-offer-prayers-raj-hc-quashes-fir-for-temple-scc-times\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Every citizen has right to access temple and offer prayers\u2019; Rajasthan High Court quashes FIR for alleged Trespass at Mahakaleshwar Mahadev Temple"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>\n.animate-charcter{background-image: linear-gradient(-225deg, #231557 0%, #44107a 29%, #ff1361 67%, #fff800 100%); background-size: 200% auto; -webkit-background-clip: text; -webkit-text-fill-color: transparent; animation: textclip 5s linear infinite;}\n@keyframes textclip {to {background-position: 200% center;}}\n<\/style>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify; line-height: 150%;\">\n<p style=\"\"><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">Rajasthan High Court:<\/span> In a criminal petition seeking quashment of FIR filed by Sub-Inspector based on a report that the petitioner attempted to forcibly enter the Mahakaleshwar Mahadev Ji Siddh Dham Temple by cutting a lock on the door, a single-judge bench of Arun Monga, J., held that <span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">&#8220;every citizen has the right to access the temple and offer prayers&#8221;<\/span> and quashed the FIR and all consequential proceedings as the petitioner&#8217;s actions prima facie did not constitute any criminal offense.<\/p>\n<p class=\"animate-charcter\" style=\"margin-bottom: 3%; margin-left: 36pt; font-weight: bold;\">&#8220;A temple is a public place of worship, accessible to all citizens regardless of caste, creed, or social standing. Restricting access to such a place by erecting barricades or locks by private Trustees violates the fundamental right of every individual to practice and propagate their religion, as guaranteed under Article <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/DocumentLink.aspx?q=JTXT-0001575050\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">25<\/a> of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/DocumentLink.aspx?q=JTXT-0002726967\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Constitution of India<\/a>.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 3%;\">In the instant matter, the Superintendent of Police, Udaipur, received a complaint alleging chaos at the Mahakaleshwar Mahadev Ji Siddh Dham temple. Following the complaint, a Sub-Inspector recorded witness statements and reviewed a video, which purportedly showed the petitioner and others attempting to forcibly enter the temple by cutting a lock. Based on this information, an FIR was registered against the petitioner for offences under Sections <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/DocumentLink.aspx?q=JTXT-0001561788\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">448<\/a> (house-trespass), <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/DocumentLink.aspx?q=JTXT-0001561765\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">427<\/a> (mischief), and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/DocumentLink.aspx?q=JTXT-0001561403\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">143<\/a> (unlawful assembly) of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/DocumentLink.aspx?q=JTXT-0002726960\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Penal Code, 1860<\/a> (IPC).<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 3%;\">The petitioner contended that her intent was to access a public place of worship, which does not constitute a criminal act. It was contended that there was no evidence of damage, violence, or intent to disrupt public order. The petitioner argued that the barricades set up by the Trustees of the temple unconstitutionally restricted access to the temple, thereby violating the fundamental right to worship under Article <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/DocumentLink.aspx?q=JTXT-0001575050\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">25<\/a> of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/DocumentLink.aspx?q=JTXT-0002726967\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Constitution of India<\/a>. It was further contended that the Trustees, being private individuals, cannot restrict access to a public place of worship based on caste or any other discriminatory grounds.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 3%;\">On the other hand, the respondent (Temple Trust) claimed that the barricades were necessary to manage worshippers and prevent chaos. They presented photographs allegedly showing the petitioner using force against the barricades.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 3%;\">The Court noted that the petitioner&#8217;s primary objective was accessing a place of worship, which is a lawful act. The Court noted that the video evidence did not show the use of force or any damage to property. It was noted that the petitioner&#8217;s actions were confined to crossing a barricade, which does not constitute criminal trespass or mischief. The Court found no evidence of a group with a common intent to commit an illegal act, as required for the offence of unlawful assembly.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 3%;\">The Court stated the petitioner&#8217;s actions of attempting to cross barricade did not constitute house-trespass, mischief, or unlawful assembly as there was no evidence of criminal intent. The Court held that the FIR did not establish any prima facie case against the petitioner. The Court noted that <span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">&#8220;the FIR appears to be a clear abuse of the legal process, initiated with ulterior motives.&#8221;<\/span> The Court further noted that the Trust did not itself file the complaint and that the FIR was registered by a Sub-Inspector who claimed to be an informer raises questions about the credibility and genuineness of the complaint.<\/p>\n<p style=\"\">The Court asserted that a temple is a public place of worship, restricting access through barricades violates the right to religious practice guaranteed under Article <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/DocumentLink.aspx?q=JTXT-0001575050\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">25<\/a> of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/DocumentLink.aspx?q=JTXT-0002726967\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Constitution of India<\/a>, and therefore, any restrictions imposed by the Trustees are unlawful. The Court stated the public nature of temples and the rights of citizens, particularly from marginalized groups, to access such places of worship without discrimination.<\/p>\n<p class=\"animate-charcter\" style=\"margin-bottom: 3%; margin-left: 36pt; font-weight: bold;\">&#8220;The Trustees, while managing the affairs of the temple, cannot act in a manner that deprives any or certain section of society, particularly the marginalized, of their right to worship.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 3%;\">The Court emphasised that the petitioner&#8217;s Scheduled Caste background and the historical exclusion of marginalized communities from religious institutions cannot be overlooked. The Court stated that denying access to the temple could be interpreted as caste-based discrimination, which contravenes constitutional principles of equality.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 3%;\">The Court quashed the FIR, as well as all consequential proceedings. The Court also dismissed all pending applications related to the case.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 3%;\">[<span style=\"font-weight: bold; color: #632423;\"><span style=\"font-style: italic;\">Sapna Nimawat<\/span> v. <span style=\"font-style: italic;\">State of Rajasthan<\/span>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.scconline.com\/DocumentLink\/73PfR0EI\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">2024 SCC OnLine Raj 2954<\/a>, Decided on 10-09-2024<\/span>]<\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<p>Advocates who appeared in this case :<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-left: 18pt;\">Mr. Tushar Moad, Counsel for the Petitioners<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-left: 18pt;\">Mr. H.S. Jodha, PP, Counsel for the Respondent<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-left: 18pt;\">Mr. Kailash Khatri, Counsel for the Respondent 2<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"color: #000080;\">Buy Constitution of India &nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ebcwebstore.com\/product\/the-constitution-of-india-coat-pocket-edition?products_id=100647\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">HERE<\/a><\/h3>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 3%;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ebcwebstore.com\/product\/the-constitution-of-india-coat-pocket-edition?products_id=100647\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/ebcwebstore\/images\/the-constitution-of-india-coat-pocket-edition-Gopal-Sankaranarayanan-ebc-front-cover.JPG\" alt=\"Constitution of India\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-294438\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"color: #000080;\">Buy Penal Code, 1860 &nbsp; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ebcwebstore.com\/product_info.php?products_id=1158\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">HERE<\/a><\/h3>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 3%;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ebcwebstore.com\/product_info.php?products_id=1158\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/penal-code-1860-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"penal code, 1860\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-294601\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/penal-code-1860-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/penal-code-1860-768x511.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/penal-code-1860-440x293.jpg 440w, https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/penal-code-1860-650x433.jpg 650w, https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/penal-code-1860.jpg 886w, https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/penal-code-1860-60x40.jpg 60w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p style=\"font-style: italic;\">&#8220;The fact that the petitioner belongs to a Scheduled Caste\/Scheduled Tribe may have caused some discomfort among the Trustees, leading to the denial of access. Such conduct by the Trustees is unacceptable.&#8221;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":67514,"featured_media":314824,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,10],"tags":[67205,34020,50352,2575,74014,74013,74015,36775,14611,15071],"class_list":["post-332947","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-casebriefs","category-highcourts","tag-justice-arun-monga","tag-public-temple","tag-quashment-of-fir","tag-Rajasthan_High_Court","tag-right-to-access-temple","tag-right-to-access-temple-and-offer-prayers","tag-right-to-offer-prayers","tag-trespass","tag-trust","tag-unlawful-assembly"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.4 (Yoast SEO v26.4) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>\u2018Every citizen has right to access temple and offer prayers\u2019; Rajasthan High Court quashes FIR for alleged Trespass at Mahakaleshwar Mahadev Temple | SCC Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Rajasthan High Court quashed FIR for alleged Trespass at Mahakaleshwar Mahadev Ji Siddh Dham Temple and held that every citizen has right to access temple and offer prayers.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2024\/10\/14\/every-citizen-has-right-to-access-temple-and-offer-prayers-raj-hc-quashes-fir-for-temple-scc-times\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"\u2018Every citizen has right to access temple and offer prayers\u2019; Rajasthan High Court quashes FIR for alleged Trespass at Mahakaleshwar Mahadev Temple\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Rajasthan High Court quashed FIR for alleged Trespass at Mahakaleshwar Mahadev Ji Siddh Dham Temple and held that every citizen has right to access temple and offer prayers.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2024\/10\/14\/every-citizen-has-right-to-access-temple-and-offer-prayers-raj-hc-quashes-fir-for-temple-scc-times\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"SCC Times\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/scc.online\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-10-14T04:30:12+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-10-17T03:49:30+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Rajasthan-High-Court.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"887\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"591\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Ritu\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"\u2018Every citizen has right to access temple and offer prayers\u2019; Rajasthan High Court quashes FIR for alleged Trespass at Mahakaleshwar Mahadev Temple\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Ritu\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2024\/10\/14\/every-citizen-has-right-to-access-temple-and-offer-prayers-raj-hc-quashes-fir-for-temple-scc-times\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2024\/10\/14\/every-citizen-has-right-to-access-temple-and-offer-prayers-raj-hc-quashes-fir-for-temple-scc-times\/\",\"name\":\"\u2018Every citizen has right to access temple and offer prayers\u2019; Rajasthan High Court quashes FIR for alleged Trespass at Mahakaleshwar Mahadev Temple | SCC Times\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2024\/10\/14\/every-citizen-has-right-to-access-temple-and-offer-prayers-raj-hc-quashes-fir-for-temple-scc-times\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2024\/10\/14\/every-citizen-has-right-to-access-temple-and-offer-prayers-raj-hc-quashes-fir-for-temple-scc-times\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Rajasthan-High-Court.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-10-14T04:30:12+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-10-17T03:49:30+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/392f265bae2f48f0f0d02b8e0e9015b9\"},\"description\":\"Rajasthan High Court quashed FIR for alleged Trespass at Mahakaleshwar Mahadev Ji Siddh Dham Temple and held that every citizen has right to access temple and offer prayers.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2024\/10\/14\/every-citizen-has-right-to-access-temple-and-offer-prayers-raj-hc-quashes-fir-for-temple-scc-times\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2024\/10\/14\/every-citizen-has-right-to-access-temple-and-offer-prayers-raj-hc-quashes-fir-for-temple-scc-times\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2024\/10\/14\/every-citizen-has-right-to-access-temple-and-offer-prayers-raj-hc-quashes-fir-for-temple-scc-times\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Rajasthan-High-Court.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Rajasthan-High-Court.webp\",\"width\":887,\"height\":591,\"caption\":\"Rajasthan High Court\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2024\/10\/14\/every-citizen-has-right-to-access-temple-and-offer-prayers-raj-hc-quashes-fir-for-temple-scc-times\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"\u2018Every citizen has right to access temple and offer prayers\u2019; Rajasthan High Court quashes FIR for alleged Trespass at Mahakaleshwar Mahadev Temple\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"SCC Times\",\"description\":\"Bringing you the Best Analytical Legal News\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/392f265bae2f48f0f0d02b8e0e9015b9\",\"name\":\"Ritu\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c47318594774c1fe55e3e8c85dcd1909276373d9bf11730032fc1a7d05d56a47?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c47318594774c1fe55e3e8c85dcd1909276373d9bf11730032fc1a7d05d56a47?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Ritu\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/author\/editor_7\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"\u2018Every citizen has right to access temple and offer prayers\u2019; Rajasthan High Court quashes FIR for alleged Trespass at Mahakaleshwar Mahadev Temple | SCC Times","description":"Rajasthan High Court quashed FIR for alleged Trespass at Mahakaleshwar Mahadev Ji Siddh Dham Temple and held that every citizen has right to access temple and offer prayers.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2024\/10\/14\/every-citizen-has-right-to-access-temple-and-offer-prayers-raj-hc-quashes-fir-for-temple-scc-times\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"\u2018Every citizen has right to access temple and offer prayers\u2019; Rajasthan High Court quashes FIR for alleged Trespass at Mahakaleshwar Mahadev Temple","og_description":"Rajasthan High Court quashed FIR for alleged Trespass at Mahakaleshwar Mahadev Ji Siddh Dham Temple and held that every citizen has right to access temple and offer prayers.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2024\/10\/14\/every-citizen-has-right-to-access-temple-and-offer-prayers-raj-hc-quashes-fir-for-temple-scc-times\/","og_site_name":"SCC Times","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/scc.online\/","article_published_time":"2024-10-14T04:30:12+00:00","article_modified_time":"2024-10-17T03:49:30+00:00","og_image":[{"width":887,"height":591,"url":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Rajasthan-High-Court.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Ritu","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_title":"\u2018Every citizen has right to access temple and offer prayers\u2019; Rajasthan High Court quashes FIR for alleged Trespass at Mahakaleshwar Mahadev Temple","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Ritu","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2024\/10\/14\/every-citizen-has-right-to-access-temple-and-offer-prayers-raj-hc-quashes-fir-for-temple-scc-times\/","url":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2024\/10\/14\/every-citizen-has-right-to-access-temple-and-offer-prayers-raj-hc-quashes-fir-for-temple-scc-times\/","name":"\u2018Every citizen has right to access temple and offer prayers\u2019; Rajasthan High Court quashes FIR for alleged Trespass at Mahakaleshwar Mahadev Temple | SCC Times","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2024\/10\/14\/every-citizen-has-right-to-access-temple-and-offer-prayers-raj-hc-quashes-fir-for-temple-scc-times\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2024\/10\/14\/every-citizen-has-right-to-access-temple-and-offer-prayers-raj-hc-quashes-fir-for-temple-scc-times\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Rajasthan-High-Court.webp","datePublished":"2024-10-14T04:30:12+00:00","dateModified":"2024-10-17T03:49:30+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/392f265bae2f48f0f0d02b8e0e9015b9"},"description":"Rajasthan High Court quashed FIR for alleged Trespass at Mahakaleshwar Mahadev Ji Siddh Dham Temple and held that every citizen has right to access temple and offer prayers.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2024\/10\/14\/every-citizen-has-right-to-access-temple-and-offer-prayers-raj-hc-quashes-fir-for-temple-scc-times\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2024\/10\/14\/every-citizen-has-right-to-access-temple-and-offer-prayers-raj-hc-quashes-fir-for-temple-scc-times\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2024\/10\/14\/every-citizen-has-right-to-access-temple-and-offer-prayers-raj-hc-quashes-fir-for-temple-scc-times\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Rajasthan-High-Court.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Rajasthan-High-Court.webp","width":887,"height":591,"caption":"Rajasthan High Court"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2024\/10\/14\/every-citizen-has-right-to-access-temple-and-offer-prayers-raj-hc-quashes-fir-for-temple-scc-times\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"\u2018Every citizen has right to access temple and offer prayers\u2019; Rajasthan High Court quashes FIR for alleged Trespass at Mahakaleshwar Mahadev Temple"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/","name":"SCC Times","description":"Bringing you the Best Analytical Legal News","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/392f265bae2f48f0f0d02b8e0e9015b9","name":"Ritu","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c47318594774c1fe55e3e8c85dcd1909276373d9bf11730032fc1a7d05d56a47?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c47318594774c1fe55e3e8c85dcd1909276373d9bf11730032fc1a7d05d56a47?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Ritu"},"url":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/author\/editor_7\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Rajasthan-High-Court.webp","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":360195,"url":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2025\/09\/15\/rajasthan-high-court-upholds-cancellation-of-meat-shop-licenses-near-public-temple\/","url_meta":{"origin":332947,"position":0},"title":"Rajasthan High Court defines \u201cpublic temple\u201d; cancels licenses of meat shop within 50 meters radius","author":"Editor","date":"September 15, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"The Court held that the meat shops are situated within a radius of 50 meters of the temple in question for which legally the license to run meat shops cannot be granted to them.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Case Briefs&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Case Briefs","link":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/category\/casebriefs\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"public temple","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/public-temple.webp?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/public-temple.webp?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/public-temple.webp?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/public-temple.webp?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":343204,"url":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2025\/03\/07\/rajasthan-high-court-deems-fir-against-arnab-goswami-as-tool-for-intimidating-silencing-independent-journalism-allows-stay-application-scc-times\/","url_meta":{"origin":332947,"position":1},"title":"\u201cFIR against Arnab Goswami a tool for intimidating &amp; silencing independent journalism\u201d; Rajasthan High Court allows stay application","author":"Ritu","date":"March 7, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"\u201cThe selective initiation of criminal proceedings against the Petitioner while similar reports were aired by various media houses raises a serious question about the impartiality of the investigation and its underlying motive.\u201d","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Case Briefs&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Case Briefs","link":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/category\/casebriefs\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Rajasthan High Court","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Rajasthan-High-Court.webp?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Rajasthan-High-Court.webp?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Rajasthan-High-Court.webp?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Rajasthan-High-Court.webp?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":195865,"url":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2018\/05\/07\/mahakaleshwar-jyotirlingam-erosion-we-cant-restrain-religious-offerings-temple-committee-should-prepare-a-plan-to-prevent-further-erosion-sc\/","url_meta":{"origin":332947,"position":2},"title":"Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlingam Erosion: We can\u2019t restrain religious offerings; Temple Committee should prepare a plan to prevent further erosion: SC","author":"Prachi Bhardwaj","date":"May 7, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Supreme Court: In the petition highlighting the erosion of the Mahakaleshwar\u00a0Jyotirlingam,\u00a0Ujjain due to the religious offerings, the bench of Arun Mishra and UU Lalit, J held that the Court cannot\u00a0dictate\u00a0or prescribe\u00a0or\u00a0restrain\u00a0the\u00a0religious\u00a0practices\u00a0and\u00a0Pujas\u00a0to\u00a0be\u00a0performed in\u00a0temple as they\u00a0are\u00a0required\u00a0to\u00a0be\u00a0performed\u00a0in accordance\u00a0with\u00a0the\u00a0ancient\u00a0rituals\u00a0and\u00a0practices, however,\u00a0at\u00a0the\u00a0same\u00a0time, it\u00a0has\u00a0to\u00a0be\u00a0ensured\u00a0that\u00a0no\u00a0damage\u00a0is\u00a0caused\u00a0to\u00a0the\u00a0lingam. The Court, hence, directed that in order to\u00a0prevent\u00a0further erosion\u00a0of\u00a0Lingam, a should be\u00a0prepared Plan\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Case Briefs&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Case Briefs","link":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/category\/casebriefs\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Supreme-Court_Colour.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Supreme-Court_Colour.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Supreme-Court_Colour.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Supreme-Court_Colour.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Supreme-Court_Colour.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":336146,"url":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2024\/11\/28\/rajasthan-court-issues-notice-on-suit-claiming-ajmer-sharif-dargah-as-sankat-mochan-mahadev-temple-scc-times\/","url_meta":{"origin":332947,"position":3},"title":"Land Dispute | Rajasthan Court issues notice on suit claiming Ajmer Sharif Dargah as \u201cSankat Mochan Mahadev Temple\u201d","author":"Ritu","date":"November 28, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"The plaintiff, Hindu Sena chief cited historical records of a Shiva Linga beneath the site and sought direction to the ASI to conduct a survey of the Dargah premises to confirm the existence of remnants of the Shiva temple.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Case Briefs&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Case Briefs","link":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/category\/casebriefs\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Ajmer Sharif Dargah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Ajmer-Sharif-Dargah.webp?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Ajmer-Sharif-Dargah.webp?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Ajmer-Sharif-Dargah.webp?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Ajmer-Sharif-Dargah.webp?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":293277,"url":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2023\/05\/27\/5-high-courts-to-get-new-chief-justices\/","url_meta":{"origin":332947,"position":4},"title":"5 High Courts to get new Chief Justices","author":"Bhumika Indulia","date":"May 27, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"KERALA HIGH COURT \u21aa Shri Justice Sarasa Venkatanarayana Bhatti, Judge, Kerala High Court, appointed as the Chief Justice of the Kerala High Court with effect from the date he assumes charge of his office. HIMACHAL PRADESH HIGH COURT \u21aa\u00a0Shri Justice Mamidanna Satya Ratna Sri Ramachandra Rao, Judge, Punjab & Haryana\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Appointments &amp; Transfers&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Appointments &amp; Transfers","link":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/category\/news\/appointments\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"new chief justices of high court","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/new-chief-justices-of-high-court.webp?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/new-chief-justices-of-high-court.webp?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/new-chief-justices-of-high-court.webp?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/new-chief-justices-of-high-court.webp?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":358724,"url":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2025\/09\/02\/mp-hc-rejects-plea-against-special-treatment-vips-at-mahakaleshwar-mandir\/","url_meta":{"origin":332947,"position":5},"title":"\u2018Writ Court can\u2019t decide who is VIP, it&#8217;s competent authority\u2019s discretion\u2019; MP HC rejects plea against special treatment given to VIPs at Mahakaleshwar Mandir","author":"Sonali Ahuja","date":"September 2, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"\u201cOn a particular day, looking to the status of the person, the Collector shall be the competent authority to treat him as a VIP for the purpose of offering water to the deity. There is no permanent list or protocol published by the Managing Committee of the VIP persons.\u201d","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Case Briefs&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Case Briefs","link":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/category\/casebriefs\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"special treatment of VIPs at Mahakaleshwar Mandir","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/special-treatment-of-VIPs-at-Mahakaleshwar-Mandir.webp?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/special-treatment-of-VIPs-at-Mahakaleshwar-Mandir.webp?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/special-treatment-of-VIPs-at-Mahakaleshwar-Mandir.webp?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/special-treatment-of-VIPs-at-Mahakaleshwar-Mandir.webp?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/332947","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/67514"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=332947"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/332947\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/314824"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=332947"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=332947"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=332947"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}