Prayer meeting in private dwellings does not require prior nod: Chhattisgarh HC

The Chhattisgarh High Court has said that individuals do not require prior permission from authorities to conduct religious prayers or meetings within their private dwellings, provided such gatherings do not violate existing laws.

The court was hearing a writ petition filed by Badri Prasad Sahu and Rajkumar Sahu, both residents of Janjgir-Champa district, challenging notices issued to them by the local police, refraining them from holding Christian prayer meetings at their residence.

NOC withdrawn

The petitioners told the court that they have been organising prayer meetings for believers of Christianity since 2016 in a hall constructed on the first floor of their house in their village of Godhna. They alleged that the station house officer (SHO) of Nawagarh was harassing them by serving notices under Section 94 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023. They also submitted that the Godhna grama panchayat, under pressure, withdrew the no objection certificate it had earlier issued for organising prayer meetings.

Opposing this, the State’s counsel argued that the police issued the notices as the petitioners had not sought prior permission to organise religious gatherings in their house. The State also argued that the petitioners had criminal cases registered against them and was also remained in jail, even as the counsel sought more time to file reply.

After hearing both the parties, Justice Naresh Kumar Chandravanshi delivered the order on March 24, observing that no law restricts individuals from organising prayers in their own houses.

“Further, there is no need to get prior permission from any authority for conducting prayer/prayer meeting, if the same is organised without violating any law. If there is any nuisance caused due to noise pollution or situation of law and order arises, then it is always open for the authorities to take necessary action under the provisions of the relevant statutes,” the court order said

Similar verdict

Earlier this year, the Allahabad High Court too delivered a similar order on petitions filed by Maranatha Full Gospel Ministries and Emmanuel Grace Charitable Trust. A Division Bench comprising Justice Atul Sreedharan and Justice Siddharth Nandan ruled, “There is no need to take permission to hold a religious prayer meeting on private property.”