Sacred spaces: Court appoints nazir to inspect 200-year-old temple again

Sri Laxmi Narain temple’s staircase has not been rebuilt despite SHC order, says petitioner.

KARACHI:

The Sindh High Court (SHC) appointed on Tuesday its nazir (a court official) to once again look into the illegal demolition and constructions at the compound of the 200-year-old Sri Laxmi Narain temple.

The order came on a plea seeking contempt proceedings against former excise and taxation minister Mukesh Chawla, Hindu Panchayat’s acting secretary Satram Das, alias Ravi Dawani, and Arjun, alias Babu Maharaj, for allowing the demolition of parts of the temple’s premises and constructions for the Port Grand project.

The temple is located in Native Jetty. A member of the Hindu community, Kailash Wishram, who was living on the temple’s premises, had gone to court against the demolition. In his plea, Wishram stated that the route from the temple to the sea was blocked by construction work of Port Grand and Karachi Port Trust.

He pointed out that the Hindu community needed to have access to the sea so they could perform their religious rituals. “The route has been cut off. The staircase which led from the temple to the sea has been blocked,” he said. “The authorities have also demolished some structures within the compound, preventing the Hindu community from performing rituals.”



The temple’s caretaker had alleged that the demolition was done on Chawla’s orders. But the minister denied this. On September 14, 2012, the court had ordered its nazir to inspect the site and see whether any construction work was being done at the temple’s site. After the nazir pointed out illegalities in his report, the judges ordered for the demolished staircase to be rebuilt within a month. It also ordered for any construction material dumped at the site to be stacked in such a manner that it would not hinder pilgrims’ movement. The construction work should be completed within four months, ordered the high court.

On Tuesday, Wishram told judges that everyone connected to the case had given an undertaking before the court to comply with the orders, but were not ready to follow their words.

The staircase has not been completed even though a month has passed and the construction is still going on, he claimed.

He appealed the court to appoint the nazir to verify the claims and then take action against those who said they would abide by the court’s orders. Justice Maqbool Baqar, who headed the bench, appointed the court’s nazir to conduct fresh inspections of the site and submit his report to the court by the next hearing.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 22^nd, 2013.