The%20Uttar%20Pradesh%20government%20is%20planning%20to%20bring%20an%20ordinance%20to%20regulate%20and%20control%20the%20functioning%20of%20religious%20places%20on%20private%20and%20public%20land.%20It%20is%20learnt%20that%20the%20ordinance%20was%20being%20drafted%20by%20the%20state%u2019s%20law%20department%20and%20also%20the%20UP%20Law%20Commission.%20A%20presentation%20was%20recently%20made%20before%20Chief%20Minister%20Yogi%20Adityanath%20who%20suggested%20some%20changes%20in%20the%20draft.

Behind%20the%20move%20to%20bring%20an%20ordinance%20to%20regulate%20religious%20places%20is%20said%20to%20be%20the%20strong%20rebuke%20which%20the%20government%20got%20from%20the%20Supreme%20Court%20during%20hearing%20in%20a%20case%20pertaining%20to%20an%20ancient%20temple%20in%20Bulandshahr%u2019s%20Dibai%20tehsil%20in%20October%202019.%20A%20Bench%20headed%20by%20Justice%20NV%20Ramana%20asked%20the%20UP%20government%20if%20anybody%20can%20build%20temple%20in%20the%20state%20and%20collect%20money%20from%20public.

%u201CCan%20you%20take%20over%20any%20temple%2C%20do%20anything%20by%20issuing%20government%20orders%3F%20This%20is%20anarchy%2C%u201D%20the%20Bench%20observed%20and%20also%20asked%20the%20state%20why%20it%20has%20not%20enacted%20any%20law%20for%20management%20of%20temples%20and%20religious%20endowments.%20The%20court%20also%20wanted%20to%20know%20why%20the%20state%20had%20not%20adopted%20the%20Central%20legislation%20on%20the%20issue.

The%20case%20of%20Dibai%20temple%20has%20been%20pending%20since%202010.%26nbsp%3BThe%20Supreme%20Court%20is%20hearing%20an%20appeal%20against%20the%20Allahabad%20High%20Court%20order%20which%20allowed%20the%20public%20offerings%20made%20at%20the%20temple%20to%20be%20given%20to%20pandas.

In%202006%2C%20the%20state%20government%20changed%20the%20management%20of%20the%20300-year-old%20Shri%20Deviji%20Bela%20Bhawani%20temple%20through%20an%20administrative%20order%20and%20began%20to%20regulate%20the%20property%20and%20offerings%20under%20the%20Societies%20Registration%20Act.%20This%20was%20challenged%20by%20some%20pandas%20%28priests%29.

Last%20year%20in%20February%2C%20the%20state%20Law%20Commission%20circulated%20a%20questionnaire%20containing%2016%20questions%20as%20a%20preparatory%20exercise%20before%20formulating%20a%20law%20to%20regulate%20religious%20places.%20The%20lashing%20by%20the%20Supreme%20Court%20followed%20by%20the%20questionnaire%20created%20the%20impression%20that%20the%20government%20was%20working%20on%20a%20law%20to%20regulate%20religious%20places%20and%20buildings.%20If%20the%20questionnaire%20is%20any%20clue%2C%20the%20focus%20could%20be%20on%20some%205000%20temples%2C%20most%20of%20which%20are%20said%20to%20be%20illegal.

The%20questionnaire%20asked%20for%20details%20of%20bank%20accounts%2C%20main%20source%20of%20funds%2C%20grants%20or%20help%20received%20from%20the%20government%20and%20how%20the%20funds%20are%20used.%20One%20tricky%20question%20asked%20if%20the%20district%20magistrate%20must%20be%20the%20CEO%20of%20each%20and%20every%20religious%20site.%20The%20giveaway%20question%20was%20if%20the%20government%20should%20make%20an%20Act%20to%20manage%20religious%20sites.%20%26nbsp%3B

The%20state%20did%20pass%20the%20UP%20Regulation%20of%20Public%20Religious%20Building%20and%20Places%20Bill%20in%202000.%20It%20was%20moved%20by%20the%20Bharatiya%20Janata%20Party%20government%20led%20by%20Ram%20Prakash%20Gupta%20and%20was%20passed%20by%20both%20the%20Houses%20of%20the%20state%20legislature%20amid%20loud%20protests%20by%20the%20Opposition.%20It%20could%20not%20become%20an%20Act%20because%20KR%20Narayanan%2C%20who%20was%20the%20then-President%20of%20India%2C%20did%20not%20give%20his%20assent%20to%20the%20Bill.

The%20Bill%20passed%20by%20the%20Gupta%20government%20raised%20the%20hackles%20of%20the%20opposition%20parties%20which%20feared%20that%20it%20was%20aimed%20against%20the%20minority%20community.%20On%20the%20face%20of%20it%2C%20the%20Bill%u2019s%20provisions%20were%20not%20community%20specific%20and%20referred%20to%20all%20religions%20and%20their%20places%20of%20worship.%26nbsp%3B

Its%20provisions%20extended%20to%20mosques%2C%20gurdwaras%20and%20temples.%20Section%203%20of%20the%20Bill%20provided%2C%20%u201CNo%20building%20or%20place%2C%20not%20already%20used%20as%20a%20public%20religious%20building%20or%20public%20religious%20place%20before%20the%20commencement%20of%20this%20Act%2C%20shall%2C%20after%20such%20commencement%2C%20be%20used%20as%20public%20religious%20building%20or%20as%20a%20public%20religious%20place%u2026%u201D

Sub-section%20d%20of%20Section%202%20defined%20%u201Cpublic%20religious%20building%u201D%20as%20a%20%u201Cbuilding%2C%20by%20whatever%20name%20described%2C%20used%20or%20intended%20to%20be%20used%20or%20dedicated%20for%20being%20used%2C%20generally%20by%20any%20religious%20denomination%20or%20section%20thereof%20as%20of%20right%20for%20performing%20religious%20worship%20or%20for%20carrying%20on%20any%20activity%20pertaining%20to%20the%20matter%20of%20religion%20or%20for%20the%20purpose%20of%20religious%20instructions%2C%20or%20offering%20prayers%20which%20include%20%u2018bhajans%u2019%2C%20%u2018kirtan%u2019%2C%20%u2018stuti%u2019%20and%20%u2018namaz%u2019%20or%20performance%20of%20any%20religious%20rites%20by%20persons%20of%2C%20or%20belonging%20to%2C%20any%20religion%2C%20creed%2C%20sect%20or%20class%2C%20such%20as%20a%20temple%2C%20mosque%2C%20gurdwara%2C%20church%2C%26nbsp%3B%u2018chhattri%u2019%2C%26nbsp%3B%u2018dargah%u2019%2C%20%u2018mazar%u2019%2C%20%u2018khangah%u2019%2C%20%u2018matha%u2019%2C%20%u2018takiya%u2019%20or%20the%20like.%20Public%20religious%20places%20under%20this%20sub-section%20included%20a%20burial%20ground%20or%20a%20cremation%20ground.

Under%20Section%204%20of%20the%20Bill%20district%20magistrates%20have%20been%20authorised%20to%20grant%20permission%20for%20use%20of%20public%20places/buildings%20for%20religious%20purposes%3A%20%u201CAny%20person%20intending%20to%20use%20a%20building%20as%20public%20religious%20building%20or%20a%20place%20as%20public%20religious%20place%20or%20for%20the%20construction%20of%20public%20religious%20building%20shall%20make%20an%20application…to%20the%20district%20magistrate.

The%20role%20envisaged%20for%20a%20district%20magistrate%20in%20the%20proposed%20law%20as%20per%20the%20law%20panel%u2019s%20questionnaire%20will%20be%20different%20from%20what%20was%20provided%20for%20in%20the%20lapsed%20Bill%20of%202000.

As%20of%20now%2C%20Muslims%20are%20not%20worried%20about%20the%20impact%20of%20the%20new%20legislation%20as%20the%20government%20can%u2019t%20interfere%20in%20the%20administration%20of%20their%20religious%20places%20and%20mosques%20cannot%20be%20built%20on%20an%20illegal%20piece%20of%20land%2C%20said%20a%20source.%20About%20funds%2C%20the%20source%20said%20that%20the%20Enforcement%20Directorate%20and%20other%20agencies%20already%20keep%20track%20of%20our%20sources%20of%20funding.%26nbsp%3B

%26nbsp%3B