The Bombay High Court has denied permission for Chhath Puja at Mumbai’s Girgaon Chowpatty on November 15 and 16, leaving organisers with limited time to find an alternative venue before the festival begins on November 13.
The request was filed by the Mithila Chhath Puja Sangh, which sought permission to hold the religious event on the beach and install a stage and other facilities required for the ceremony. The court also declined to direct the authorities to provide an alternative location, according to a report by Navbharat Times – Mumbai.
A division bench comprising Justice Adwait M. Sethna and Justice Ranjitsingh Raja Bhosale said the right to religious freedom under Article 25 of the Constitution is not absolute. The court observed that the right is subject to conditions linked to public order, health and morality, and that religious events in public spaces must comply with applicable rules.
The dispute began after the D.B. Marg police station wrote to the organisers on September 17, informing them that a high-power committee constituted by the High Court for the management of Girgaon Chowpatty had restricted events at the beach. The committee has permitted events including Ganeshotsav, Navratri, Ramleela, Krishnaleela and Christmas celebrations, while requiring approvals from the relevant departments for other programmes.
Following the police response, the organisation submitted an application to the Maharashtra chief minister on October 7 seeking permission for the Chhath event. The application remains pending, the report said. The High Court told the petitioners that they could pursue other remedies available under the law but did not issue directions for an alternative venue.
The ruling places the organisers’ immediate challenge within Mumbai’s wider system for regulating large public gatherings. Girgaon Chowpatty is a heavily used public waterfront, and event permissions involve police authorities, the beach-management mechanism and other government departments. The decision indicates that a religious event at the site cannot rely only on the organisers’ request and must also satisfy the applicable administrative restrictions and approvals.
Chhath Puja will begin on November 13 with Nahay Khay, when devotees bathe and eat a simple meal. November 14 will be observed as Kharna, involving a day-long fast followed by an evening offering. The main evening ritual, Sandhya Arghya, is scheduled for November 15, when devotees offer prayers to the setting sun. The festival will conclude on November 16 with Usha Arghya and the breaking of the fast after prayers to the rising sun.
The court’s order leaves the organisers to pursue legally available options while the festival dates approach. No alternative venue has been allotted through the proceedings reported by Navbharat Times – Mumbai.
