From: The Times of India
God doesn’t need big places of worship: HC
Rosy Sequeira, TNN Oct 31, 2011, 04.38AM IST
Mumbai: God is never interested in huge places of worship, the Bombay high court recently said while hearing a petition on demolition of an unauthorized temple inside a housing society's compound at Prabhadevi.
A division bench of Justice P B Majmudar and Justice R M Savant was hearing the petition filed by Western Prabhadevi (Flat Owners) Cooperative Housing Society, opposing illegal extension to an existing temple by Om Sai Mitra Mandal. The petitioners claimed that it was blocking access to the building and also parking of vehicles.
The petition said that when the temple was constructed in 1989, the structure was only 8 ft x 3 ft in a tin shed, but was being now re-built as a concrete structure.
The mandal, however, claimed that the temple was always 11 ft x 9 ft. The high court on March 29, 2011, directed the BMC to demolish the temple without touching the deity and file a compliance report within four weeks. When the matter came up for hearing on October 19, 2011, the mandal's lawyer told the court that the municipal corporation issued notices to them and demolition was carried out.
However, petitioner's advocate Pradeep Thorat claimed that no demolition was out by the BMC even after the court's order.
"People are interested in building places of worship. But God is never interested in huge worship places. He is satisfied with a small place also," said Justice Majmudar. "If you really have the love for God, pray to God. He can give you more," he added.
After the BMC's advocate Preeti Purandare undertook to file a compliance report of the demolition by the next hearing date, the judges adjourned the hearing to November 15. "Let the deity continue to remain there," said Justice Majmudar.
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