The Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court has rejected a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed for the declaration of a holiday on the festival of ‘Karwa Chauth’.
The Division Bench of Justice Attau Rahman Masoodi and Justice Om Prakash Shukla passed this order while hearing a PIL filed by Ashish Kumar Mishra.
This is a public interest litigation instituted for declaration of holiday on the festival of ‘Karwa Chauth’ .
Counsel for the petitioner has argued that the festival of Karwa Chauth is largely celebrated by women and there is a gender discrimination in the matter of declaration of holiday on the festivals.
“Declaration of holidays falls in the realm of policy matters of the state. The courts cannot entertain such disputes unless guided by statute. Even otherwise festivals are commonly celebrated by all.
The petition for such a cause is misconceived and cannot be entertained in public interest”, the Court said while rejecting the PIL.