HC denies permission for Jeth Mela at Syed Salar Masood Ghazi Dargah in Bahraich

Lucknow, May 17 (PTI) The Allahabad High Court on Saturday declined to grant permission for organising the annual Jeth Mela at the Syed Salar Masood Ghazi Dargah in Bahraich, which had been disallowed by the district administration over law and order concerns.

However, in its order, the court's Lucknow bench allowed rituals and other related routine activities at the Dargah.

Despite it being a holiday, the Chief Justice constituted a special bench comprising Justices AR Masoodi and Subhash Vidyarthi which issued the order after hearing the petitions filed by Waqf number 19, Dargah Sharif and two other Public Interest Litigations (PILs).

The petitioners had urged the court to set aside the local administration's order that restrained the Dargah Sharif management committee from organising the Mela.

After an extensive hearing, the bench reserved its final judgment but issued an interim order outlining its decision regarding the Mela.

The court indicated that delivering a complete judgment might take additional time, hence the interim directive.

In its order, the bench instructed the local administration to provide all necessary support for maintaining law and order, as well as ensuring civic amenities, in cooperation with the Dargah Sharif management committee.

Additional Advocate General Kuldeep Pati Tripathi raised no objection to the interim order passed by the court.

The court also directed that it be ensured there is no overcrowding at the Dargah Sharif and that the safety of devotees remains a paramount concern.

Additionally, the bench expressed its expectation that the Mela committee would not create any difficulties for the administration.

The detailed judgment will be pronounced later.

The Bahraich district administration had denied permission for the annual 'Jeth Mela' traditionally held at Syed Salar Masood Ghazi Dargah.

According to an official statement, the administration cited the prevailing atmosphere following incidents like the Pahalgam attack, Sambhal violence and concerns surrounding the amended Waqf Act as the reason behind its decision.

The Jeth Mela, originally scheduled to take place at Dargah Sharif in Bahraich from May 15 to June 15, was expected to draw around lakhs of pilgrims from India and abroad. PTI COR CDN RT RT