New Delhi: Delhi High Court has held that longstanding practice of organising Chhath Puja at a particular location cannot, by itself, justify permitting the use of a public green area for religious festivities.Justice Jasmeet Singh made the observation while dismissing a plea seeking permission to hold the celebrations at a public park in Naraina village on Nov 15 and 16. One Lalit Anand had sought permission to organise the festivities over an area of approximately 1,000 square metres at Chintoo Park.“The fact that the applicant has been organising Chhath Puja at the said location for several years, or that the present request is confined to a limited area and period, cannot, by itself, constitute a ground for permitting the use of a green area,” the judge said. “The park is being maintained as a green area at the present for the benefit of the public at large,” he observed.Anand had sought permission to organise Sandhya Arghya on the evening of Nov 15 and Usha Arghya in the early morning of Nov 16, as a one-time measure, requesting Delhi Development Authority to grant temporary booking of the park upon payment of applicable charges and relevant govt agencies to issue necessary no-objection certificates and permissions.The plea claimed that Chhath Puja had been organised at the location for the past 23 years and undertook to restore the park to its original condition after the festivities, relying on a document that listed Chintoo Park as one of the venues for the religious observance.The court, however, held that the document could not override its directions issued on Aug 19, 2026. An administrative decision of the executive or any other body cannot nullify a judicial order, it said, reiterating that govt agencies cannot rely on administrative arrangements to bypass directions issued by a court.Justice Singh also noted that Delhi govt had made alternative arrangements for the celebrations at Munak Canal for Chhath Puja. “In view of the availability of alternative arrangements… there is no justification for permitting the use of Chintoo Park… particularly when the same is being maintained as a green area,” the court said.
