Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, July 2: Raising objections against the proposed ‘Kashmiri Hindu Shrines and Religious Places (Management and Regularization) Bill 2009’ the Shri Chander Chinar Bada Akhara Udasin Trust Srinagar has listed the reasons behind its reservations on the Government move.
In a representation, submitted to Mir Saifullah, Chairman of the Joint Select Committee for the Bill, Shri Chander Chinar Bada Akhara Udasin Trust explained that there was no logic of bringing religious institutions, which have functioned normally during the militancy and are not associated with the Kashmiri Hindus or their traditions, under the proposed Bill.
“Since the Bill is meant for protection and management of those Kashmiri Hindu religious places in Valley, which remained unattended due to eruption of militancy and consequent mass migration of Kashmiri Hindus, bringing institutions like our under the proposed legislation would amount to punishing us for the competence and courage to carry on under difficult circumstances,” said the Trust.
Quoting Section 3 (j) of the proposed Bill, according to which Kashmiri Hindu shrine means religious places and properties used by Kashmiri Hindus for their worship, the Trust said that it was not a Kashmiri Hindu Shrine because their religious place was neither built not associated with the persons claiming themselves as Kashmiri Hindus.
Terming the definition of ‘Kashmiri Hindu Shrines’ in the proposed Bill as highly objectionable, the Shri Chander Trust maintained that the Hindu religious places and temples are open to all Hindus for worship and prayer irrespective of their tradition.
Further, the Trust said, the proposed Bill in its present form is otherwise not legally sustainable and is in violation of the rights granted to the religious denominations by Article 25 and 26 of the Constitution of India. “The provisions of this Bill are an open discrimination against Hindus by un-necessary interference of Government in their religious affairs and encroachment of their religious freedom as there is no interference or appointment of Government nominees in other religious institutions like mosques, Gurdwaras and Christian Trusts,” it said in the representation.
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