A Fire Temple trust told the Delhi HC on Thursday that it does not profess gender discrimination as even men bleeding from a bodily injury are not allowed entry to the place of worship, just as menstruating women.
The trust, Delhi Parsi Anjuman, told a Bench of Chief Justice Rajendra Menon and Justice A.J. Bhambhani that as the temple near Delhi Gate here was privately funded by Parsi Zoroastrians, no one else has the right under the law to demand entry into it.
The DPA submissions were in response to a PIL which alleged that persons belonging to other races and religions were being discriminated against by denying them entry into the temple. The petition, by lawyer Sanjjiiv Kkumaar, has also sought entry of menstruating women into the temple.
The DPA contended that Mr. Kkumaar’s plea was “misconceived” and liable to be dismissed as the reliefs sought by him were “constitutionally impermissible”, violated the rights of all Zoroastrians and was “ignorant” of the beliefs and core tenets of Zoroastrianism.
Taking note of the objection raised by the trust with regard to maintainability of the petition, the Bench issued notice to Mr. Kkumaar seeking his stand on DPA’s application for dismissing the PIL and listed the matter for hearing on August 26.
The court said it will first hear arguments on the maintainability of the petition.