Delhi High Court Restricts Chhath Puja at Yamuna Riverbank Due to Severe Pollution Concerns

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday refused to allow devotees to perform Chhath Puja on the Yamuna river bank at Geeta Colony, expressing concern over the high level of pollution in the river. The court said that worshiping on the banks of the Yamuna river can be dangerous for you.

A bench of Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela said, 'It will be very harmful to you. The river is so polluted that if you take a dip in it, there is a possibility that the person will be harmed, so we cannot allow it because the river is very polluted.'

According to the report of Live Law, Delhi government lawyer Santosh Kumar Tripathi told the High Court that the Yamuna river is highly polluted at this time, and if devotees are allowed to perform Chhath Puja on the banks of the river, they are likely to fall ill. Santosh Kumar Tripathi also told the court that the Delhi government has marked 1,000 places to perform Chhath Puja in the national capital and adequate arrangements have been made for this.

Dismissing the plea, the High Court noted its recent order in the Shabnam Burney case, in which judicial notice was taken of the fact that pollution in the Yamuna river is at an all-time high. The Delhi High Court's decision came after thick toxic foam was seen floating on the Yamuna river at Kalindi Kunj as the pollution level in the river remained high.

On Tuesday, the first day of Chhath Puja, many devotees immersed themselves in the Yamuna river for a bath despite the thick layers of toxic foam on its surface. Chhath Puja is an important event for Delhi's Purvanchali community, which comprises Bhojpuri-speaking residents of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand. The community represents 30-40 percent of the electorate in Delhi, where assembly elections are due early next year.