The Supreme Court on Saturday criticized the Chhattisgarh government and sought its response to a petition filed by a Christian man who was unable to bury his deceased father in the graveyard of their village in Chhindwara Chhattisgarh, due to opposition from a group of village residents.
The Supreme Court has served a notice to the Chhattisgarh government seeking their response to the petition by Monday.
Ramesh Baghel, a farmer from a Scheduled Caste (SC) community, has been in a legal battle following the death of his father, whose body has been kept in a mortuary for 12 days.
Baghel’s father Subhash, a pastor, died after a prolonged illness due to old age. According to Baghel, Chhindawada village has a graveyard that has been informally divided by the gram panchayat into sections for different communities, including tribals, Hindus, and Christians.
However, some villagers objected aggressively and threatened serious consequences if Baghel and his family proceeded with the burial in the designated Christian area. The family was also prohibited from burying the body on their private land.
The High Court, relying on a certificate from the village sarpanch stating that there are no separate burial grounds for Christians, denied Baghel’s request. The court reasoned that allowing the burial might create unrest and public disharmony.
This story was originally published in maktoobmedia.com. Read the full story here.