Andhra Pradesh HC Allows Vishwa Hindu Parishad to Follow Traditional Route for Lord Vinayaka Immersion

The traditional route, which was followed for the past two-three decades, enabled the immersion to be made in a canal via Arts College, Srikrishna Devalayam, Emmiganur Circle, Sri Anantha Mangala Anjaneyaswamy Temple, Nirmala Talkies, II Town Police Station, Srinivasa Bhavan, and Kotta Bridge in Adoni. However, the new route prescribed by the State diverted the route of the procession through a narrow 15 feet road, which was construed as an unwarranted restriction in the carrying out of the procession.

Against this backdrop, Justice Harinath N observed,

“… there shall be a direction to the 2nd respondent, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Adoni Division, Kurnool district, the Station House Officer, I Town Police Station, Adoni, and the Station House Officer, II Town Police Station, Adoni, to facilitate the petitioner in carrying out the procession of the Lord Vinayaka idols for immersion in the canal via Arts College, Srikrishna Devalayam, Emmiganur Circle, Sri Anantha Mangala Anjaneyaswamy Temple, Nirmala Talkies, II Town Police Station, Srinivasa Bhavan, and Kotta Bridge. It is made clear that the 2nd respondent, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Adoni Division, Kurnool district, the Station House Officer, I Town Police Station, Adoni, and the Station House Officer, II Town Police Station, Adoni, shall take necessary steps to ensure peaceful procession and, if need be, deploy adequate personnel and machinery to ensure the peaceful procession and subsequent immersion. The respondents may also install cameras or record the procession to monitor the procession and keep an eye on the trouble mongers.”

Background

Through a writ petition, the petitioner argued that for the last two years, the State authorities were causing inconvenience by diverting the route of the procession through the narrow 15 feet road, which made it impossible for the petitioner to pass through the narrow routes with idols that were above 15 feet in height. While the same was brought to the notice of the State authorities, no action was taken to facilitate the petitioner to take out the procession on the traditional route which was followed for the last twenty to thirty years.

The petitioner relied on a judgment of the Madras High Court of 2019 [W.A. Nos. 743 and 2064 of 2019], where the High Court had underscored that all public roads or streets are secular spaces and every religious group has the fundamental right to carry out processions through such roads and streets, however, without insulting other religious sentiments or raising slogans against other religious groups, affecting their sentiments, public law and order.

On the contrary, the Deputy Superintendent of Police argued that that the police issued the route map only after conducting a coordination meeting with concerned parties and had also referred to a tragic incident of 05.09.2011— where communal clashes took place between two communities near the Madina Mosque in Adoni during a procession, as a result of which curfew was imposed in the town, and 39 communal riot cases were registered.

Disposing of the writ petition, the Court directed the State authorities to facilitate the procession, which shall conclude on September 10, and deploy adequate personnel for the peaceful conduct of the procession and immersion.

Case Details:

Case Number: WRIT PETITION NO: 22944/2025

Case Title: VISWA HINDU PARISHAD v. THE STATE OF ANDHRA PRADESH

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