Earlier this year, the Allahabad High Court delivered a similar ruling, stating that no permission is required to hold religious prayer meetings on private property
NEW DELHI — The Chhattisgarh High Court has recently ruled that no prior permission is needed to hold prayer meetings at home if no laws are violated.
Quashing the police notices issued against two residents and barring harassment, the court allowed action only in cases of noise or law and order issues, reinforcing the protection of private religious rights.
In a judgment delivered on March 24, Justice Naresh Kumar Chandravanshi noted that no law prohibits holding prayer meetings within one’s home. He also ordered authorities to cease interfering with or harassing citizens holding such meetings, protecting individual civil liberties.
Earlier this year, the Allahabad High Court delivered a similar ruling, stating that no permission is required to hold religious prayer meetings on private property.
The Chhattisgarh High Court order reinforces the legal position that private religious gatherings are allowed under law, provided they do not disturb public order or violate existing regulations, reports reaching here said on Wednesday.
The observation came during the hearing of a petition filed by Badri Prasad Sahu and Rajkumar Sahu from Janjgir Champa district, who challenged police notices stopping them from holding Christian prayer meetings at their residence in Godhna village.
“There is no need to get prior permission from any authority for conducting prayer meetings if the same is organised without violating any law,” the court said.
The petitioners told the court that they had been organising prayer meetings since 2016 in a hall built on the first floor of their house. They alleged that the local police were harassing them by issuing notices under Section 94 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023.
They also said that the village panchayat had earlier given a no-objection certificate for the gatherings, but later withdrew it under pressure.
On the other hand, the state argued that the petitioners had not taken prior permission and also pointed to past criminal cases against them while justifying the police action.
The high court quashed the police notices and directed authorities not to interfere in the petitioners’ civil rights.
“The petitioners are registered owners of the land where they have been organising prayer meetings since 2016. There is no law restraining any person from holding prayer meetings in their dwelling house,” the court noted.
