Himachal Pradesh High Court on Tuesday issued notices of contempt to Deputy Commissioner, Superintendent of Police and Sub-Divisional Magistrate of Bilaspur district along with others for their failure to ensure compliance of orders of court.
The Court also issued contempt notices to the chairman of the management committee of Maharishi Markandeya Temple. A Division Bench comprising acting Chief Justice Mansoor Ahmad Mir and Justice Kuldip Singh passed these orders on a contempt petition taken up by the Court suo motu, on a letter written by one SR Harnot, a writer and president of Himalaya Sahitya, Sanskriti Avam Paryavaran Manch, Shimla to the Chief Justice complaining of a notice board put up at Sanyasi temple above Markandeya shrine, Bilaspur barring the dalits from entering the temple.
Earlier also, the HC had taken cognisance of a news report regarding putting up of such notice outside the temple and treated the same as PIl, while directing the deputy commissioner and the SP of Bilaspur and the chairman, Maharishi Markandeya Temple management committee to ensure that no such board is displayed in the boundaries of the temple in future.
The board was removed temporarily after a case was registered against accused Baba Kewal Puri in this regard, but the board again came up barring dalits from entering the temple premises. The court then adjourned the hearing on the case for February 25, next year.
