TOI : It's the duty of every citizen to follow Gita, says HC judge : Sept 11, 2007

It's the duty of every citizen to follow Gita, says HC judge
TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Allahabad: Justice S N Srivastava of the Allahabad high court, who had
stirred a hornet's nest earlier by ruling that Muslims were not a minority
in the state, has now come out with an order that "it is the duty of every
citizen of India under Article 51-A of the Constitution, irrespective of
caste, creed or religion, to follow the dharma propounded by the Bhagvad
Gita''.

    Giving this ruling on a writ petition by S R Mukherjee, Justice
Srivastava said the Gita was a "dharma shastra'' of India. It also said that
it is the duty of the state to recognise the Gita as 'rashtriya dharma
shastra'. "The Gita inspired our national struggle for freedom and all walks
of life,'' he said. The judge ruled that the properties attached with
temples, including religious institutions, cannot be alienated without prior
permission of the district judges concerned.

    Elaborating further, the court said that as India has a recognised
national flag and national anthem, Bhagvad Gita, too, may be considered as
national (or rashtriya) dharma shastra.

    The court passed this order on a writ petition filed by Gopal Thakur
Mandir of Varanasi, which had moved the court, challenging the sale of
properties of the temple.

Publication:Times of India Mumbai; Date:Sep 11, 2007; Section:Times Nation;
Page Number:11

URL :
http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/ml.asp?Ref=VE9JTS8yMDA3LzA5LzExI0FyMDExMDU=&Mode=HTML&Locale=english-skin-custom