The Delhi High Court has imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh on a person who made Lord Hanuman a party to a dispute over a temple on private land. The court called the move an abuse of the legal process and the worst and most "pernicious" kind of practice that can be resorted to.
"I never thought that God would, one day, be a litigant before me. This appears, however, thankfully, to be a case of divinity by proxy," Justice Hari Shankar said while imposing a fine of Rs 1 lakh on the litigant.
The petition was related to a dispute about a temple constructed on private land. In his plea, Ankit Mishra claimed that since there was a public temple on the property, the plot belonged to Lord Hanuman and the appellant was "his next friend" and a worshipper. The temple is situated in Delhi's Uttam Nagar area.
While dismissing the appeal, the court noted that there was nothing to indicate that the temple was a public temple.
"In order to avoid the appellant (Ankit Mishra) now advancing the contention that the costs had to be shared by Lord Hanuman, it is clarified that the costs would be entirely payable by him - with a small 'h'," the court said.
The court said that the manner in which the process of the law was abused by the appellant was an affront, not only to the law, but to the court and its entire process.
The court said, "There could be no scope of leniency in such a case and compensatory costs are required to be awarded, and appellant Ankit Mishra cannot, therefore, escape costs."
Last year, a city court rejected Mishra's application in September, stating that the temple was on private land and worship by the public did not make it a public temple. The petitioner was also declared ineligible to represent Lord Hanuman as its next friend.
