State ‘reluctant’ to hold Shrawani Mela, HC verdict on Friday

Ranchi: Citing the threat of community spread of Covid-19 pandemic, the state government on Tuesday expressed its “reluctance” to organize the famous Shrawani Mela in Deoghar before the Jharkhand high court. Advocate general Rajiv Ranjan said the risk of the virus spreading among devotees is very high and the government is not keen to take any risk in this regard.
The month-long Shrawani Mela is scheduled to begin on July 6. Every year, more than 50 lakh devotees visit the Babadham temple in Deoghar to offer their prayers and pour water over the one of the 12 Jyotirlingas in the country.
A division bench of chief justice Dr Ravi Ranjan and justice Sujit Narayan Prasad were hearing a public interest litigation filed by Godda MP Nishikant Dubey for allowing the Shrawani Mela with some restrictions and guidelines. The court has reserved its order and will deliver a verdict on July 3.
Ranjan informed the court through video conferencing that a detailed meeting has been held by chief secretary Sukhdev Singh with secretaries and officials of other departments and Deoghar deputy commissioner Nancy Sahay to review the situation.
He said the officials have confirmed that holding a large gathering with devotees coming from outside the state will pose a great threat for everyone involved. Moreover, the lockdown in the state has also been increased to July 31, Ranjan said.
Dubey’s counsel Ravi Prakash Mishra informed the court that the government could frame some guidelines and allow devotees in small numbers to offer prayers to Lord Shiva. The Shrawani Mela is an age old tradition and part of the culture, Mishra said.
Mishra suggested that online e-passes could be issued to devotees who apply for registration. A date and time for their visit could be fixed and specific passes for individuals can be issued to avoid crowding and congestion on the temple premises throughout the mela. Thermal scanning of devotees can also be done before they enter the sanctum sanctorum, the counsel said.