Plea In Top Court Seeks Uniform Code For Religious, Charitable Endowments

The plea contended that Hindus, Jains, Buddhists and Sikhs should have similar rights to establish, manage and maintain their religious places like Muslims, Parsis and Christians, and the State cannot abridge this right.

A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was filed in the Supreme Court on Thursday seeking Uniform Code for Religious and Charitable Endowments and referred to the control of authorities on Hindu temples across the country, unlike certain other groups which are allowed to manage their own institutions. The plea filed by advocate and BJP leader Ashwini Upadhyay contended that Hindus, Jains, Buddhists and Sikhs should have similar rights to establish, manage and maintain their religious places like Muslims, Parsis and Christians, and the State cannot abridge this right. “It is submitted that the right to manage institutions conferred under Articles 26 is a natural right for all communities. But Hindus, Jains, Buddhists and Sikhs have been denied this privilege,” said the plea filed through advocate Ashwani Kumar Dubey. The PIL stated that there are approximately four lakh temples out of nine Lakh temples across the country which are under government control. There is not a single Church or Mosque related religious body where any control or interference of government is seen, it said, added that as far as tax paying or endowments is concerned there is no payment of tax from Churches and Mosques in the country.