Thread by @LawBeatInd

#Temples: Supreme Court to hear plea seeking direction that Hindus, Jains, Sikhs & Buddhists be permitted "have similar rights to establish, manage & maintain their religious places like Muslims, Parsis, Christians" & formulate a 'Uniform Code for Religious-Charitable Endowments

Raising questions about equal treatment of temples, gurudwaras at par with mosques, churches etc, the plea asks whether a "Secular State" can make laws to abridge rights of Hindus @AshwiniUpadhyay

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Senior Advocate Arvind Datar: This is a case in which we have challenged the Endowments acts in all states. What came from the Madras HC is that endowments of hindus come under concurrent list. We are saying that either you regulate all endowments or regulate none

Bench: What states are we talking about?
Datar: Tamil Nadu, Karnataka Telangana, AP and Puducherry
Justice Bhat: What is the need for this? This has been functioning for a long time.
Datar: The government controls 58 of the main temples and this violates fundamental rights.

Datar: Perhaps in the colonial times, they did not want to regulate the churches and all
Another lawyer: For temples, audit is prescribed. In Karnataka 50,000 temples have closed down because they have no money for management. Money is being fettered away.
#temples

#CJI: What data do you have about these 50,000 temples shutting down.
Sr. Adv Gopal Shankaranarayan: A larger question has to be looked at here, this pervades Article 14
Justice Bhat: The receipt of money in temples is by the people. This money after all has to go back to people.

Shankaranarayan: Why are hindu temples being treated differently? Ultimately, the larger question is that the Church and State has to be separated and if its not, this needs to be fixed.
Justice Bhat: You cannot compare this with other religions
#SupremeCourt

Datar: These funds are being used for public purposes.
Is this discernible? Have you challenged those acts?
#CJI: We dont have the provisions here. Thats what we are saying, we dont even know.
#SupremeCourt

Justice Bhat: 150 year history. Temples have functioned in a particular which means they have catered to a larger need to the society. You are virtually rolling the clock back. Ultimately these temples had became places of wealth, if we were to roll back, we will reach that point

Datar says there is enough data to suggest that the temple money has been mismanaged.
#CJI: We need to see credible data.
Datar: We will file all of that.
Bench: list on September 19
#SupremeCourt

Supreme Court Says It Requires More Data To Consider Plea Challenging HRCE Laws, Seeking Uniform Code Instead; listed on September 19 @AshwiniUpadhyay #temples #SupremeCourt
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