Supreme Court Allows Centuries-Old Ramleela Festivities Amid Legal Dispute

In a significant development, the Supreme Court has stayed an Allahabad High Court order that restricted holding Ramleela festivities on a school compound in Firozabad, Uttar Pradesh. The century-old tradition's continuation hinges on ensuring students are not inconvenienced.

The bench, comprising Justices Surya Kant, Ujjal Bhuyan, and N Kotiswar Singh, noted that while they do not generally endorse religious events on school premises, the longstanding nature of the Ramleela and its commencement on September 14 warranted a temporary relief. The court issued notices to the Uttar Pradesh government, asking the high court to work on an alternative site proposal.

The judgment also took a critical tone against petitioner Pradeep Singh Rana for not addressing his grievances prior to the festivities' initiation and questioned his motives since he is not directly affected as a student or parent. Rana pursued legal action only after observing construction activities linked to the event.

(With inputs from agencies.)