Chandigarh: A high court has questioned the existence of separate cremation grounds for different communities in a village in the northern Indian state of Haryana.

The Punjab and Haryana High Court on December 8 sought the response from the Deputy Commissioner of Ambala on the existence of five cremation groups in a village under the Ambala District.

The court term the separate cremation grounds as “divisions of society.”

The Bench of Justice Jaswant Singh and Justice Sant Parkash sought response from a common authority, which would “administer all cremation grounds so as to remove the apprehension of the petitioners that they would not be permitted to avail the benefit of the existing cremation grounds for cremation of members of their communities.”

The Deputy Advocate General, Haryana, was directed to do the needful.

The Court was hearing the plea of Jaswant Kumar (76) and seven other villagers who claimed that Brahmins, Sikhs and Backward Classes had separate cremation grounds in the village.

As per the report of The Tribune, the petitioners and other members of the community claimed before the court that they were left without the right to perform the last rites of departed souls as all five cremation grounds in the village were “community wise.”

They sought the quashing of an order passed by the Deputy Commissioner on September 11 rejecting the petitioners’ plea in “complete violation of the principles of natural justice,” based on the presumption that there was no cremation ground as mentioned in their complaint.

The petitioners added that the same stood “illegally demolished” with the help of earth movers.

The counsel appearing for the petitioners sought directions to the Deputy Commissioner and another respondent to restore the cremation ground belonging to them and other residents belonging to the Brahmins and Backward Classes.

They prayed that for a direction to respondents 2 and 3 to restore the cremation ground belonging to the petitioners and other residents belonging to Brahmins and Backward Classes.

The matter has now been listed for further hearing on January 13, 2021.

Source: livelaw.in