Calcutta HC to decide today whether Ganga Sagar Mela can be held – Hindustan Times

The Calcutta high court will on Wednesday decide whether or not to allow the Ganga Sagar Mela for which millions of pilgrims are expected to gather and take a holy dip between 6.02am on January 14 till 6.02am on January 15 at the confluence of the Ganga and the Bay of Bengal in West Bengal.

A division bench of Chief Justice TB Radhakrishnan and Justice Arijit Banerjee directed the state’s chief secretary on Friday to file an affidavit on Tuesday on the measures for the dip in view of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“This [affidavit] will enable the Court to assess the situation and decide whether or not the Ganga Sagar Mela should be permitted to be held this year keeping in mind the pandemic situation and the paramount interest of public health at large,” the bench said.

The Mela is held on the Sagar Island in West Bengal in mid-January every year. It is the second-largest congregation of pilgrims in India after the Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj. Around five million pilgrims from across India took the holy dip to celebrate Makar Sankranti, the first major Hindu festival in the Gregorian calendar, last year.

The state government has for the first time made provisions for pilgrims to watch the Mela live on the internet. Pilgrims can book an online pilgrimage package comprising Ganga Jal in a container, prasad, and the holy tika for e-snan (e-holy dip).

The court earlier directed the state government to inform the pilgrims about the risks of taking the holy dip during the pandemic.

Sabysachi Chatterjee, the lawyer who filed a petition over the Mela, said the court was primarily satisfied with the state government’s arrangements but said it was susceptible about how the effectuation of the measures could be achieved.

In October, the court banned the entry of visitors into Durga Puja pandals amid muted celebrations because of Covid-19.