LUCKNOW: UP government informed the Allahabad High Court that the refusal to allow ‘Jeth Mela’ was not any interference in the religious practices at the shrine.The government decided to cancel the annual ‘Jeth Mela’ in memory of Sayyad Salar Masood Ghazi at his shrine in Bahraich in central UP.Moreover, the state government clarified that the restrictions applied solely to the Mela held outside the Dargah premises, which was primarily commercial in nature, involving the allotment of temporary shops on rent.The court was also informed that the district administration was unable to provide necessary infrastructure and ensure a secure environment for the month-long Mela, which, as per the intelligence inputs, could lead to serious law and order situation. Hence, the permission was denied, however, the same had nothing to do with the religious activities inside the Dargah. The state government represented by Additional Chief Standing Counsel Rajesh made the submissions before the division bench of High Court comprising Justice Rajan Roy and Justice Om Prakash Shukla. They were hearing the writ petition filed by the Management Committee of Dargah Sharif in Bahraich and four other UP residents over the decision of the district administration to refuse permission for the Mela, citing law and order concerns.The petitioners were represented by Advocate Lalta Prasad Misra and Sayyad Hussain, who claimed that the Mela was a long-standing tradition and had been a state-recognised Mela since 1987 and was central to the faith of lakhs of devotees, including both Hindus and Muslims.
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