Stop Religious Rituals During Court Events, Instead Bow Down To Constitution Or Preamble : Supreme Court Judge Justice Abhay Oka

Supreme Court Judge, Justice Abhay Oka at a recent event in Pune urged people to stop religious rituals during court programs and instead start official court events by bowing down or showing respect to either the preamble or the Constitution.

Justice Oka was speaking at the 'Bhoomi Pujan,' or foundation laying event of the new court complex in Pimpri- Chinchwad near Pune.

"This year on November 26, we will complete 75 years of adopting the Constitution given by Baba Saheb Ambedkar. Our constitution has two important words in the Preamble, one is 'secular' and second is 'democracy.'…I've always believed the core of the judicial system is the Constitution.”

So keeping with the spirit of secularism, Justices Oka said he will be saying something unpleasant.

“I am going to say something a little unpleasant. I feel we should stop doing rituals like poojas & archanas or lighting lamps during official judicial events. Instead, we should keep an image of the Preamble of the Constitution and bow down to it to commence a program. As the Constitution completes 75 years, to maintain its dignity, we should start this new practice," he said in his speech delivered in

He said that while the court system may have been created by the British, it was run by the Constitution. “The courts are given by the Constitution.”

Justice Oka further said that he tried to but couldn't completely stop religious practices when he was the Chief Justice of the Karnataka High Court.

During his speech the judge also highlighted the need for rain water harvesting in new court buildings. He said the water can be used for clean drinking water, especially in mega cities. Borewells should be prepared and used for keeping the court premises clean and for watering the plans. “We need to think of the environment,” he said.

“Today we call the courts “temples of justice.” Whether they should be called this or not is a matter of debated. But the courts don't belong to anyone. It follows the religion of law and humanity. We should keep it pious.. not in the religious way but it needs to be kept clean.”

He said new court buildings were not just about good exteriors but also spaces where quality justice is done.

The video of the speech(in Marathi) can be watched here.