Uttarakhand HC Allows Char Dham Pilgrimage; BJP, Congress Spar Over ‘Credit’

The ruling BJP and opposition Congress minced no words in claiming the “credit” after a divisional bench of the Uttarakhand High Court on Thursday vacated the stay and allowed the Char Dham pilgrimage. The divisional bench of the high court comprising Chief Justice RS Chauhan and Justice Alok Verma gave the conditional go-ahead for the annual pilgrimage that was stayed in June due to Covid-19 concerns.

According to the court order, only those who are fully vaccinated or have a negative RTPCR report will be allowed to undertake the pilgrimage. Only 1,200 pilgrims can visit Badrinath on a single day while the number has been capped to 800 at Kedarnath, 600 at Gangotri and 400 at Yamnotri. The court has also directed the state government to deploy an appropriate number of policemen and authorities at the shrine to check overcrowding.

The pilgrimage at the four revered shrines in the Himalayas of Uttarakhand were closed during the Covid-19 outbreak last year. This year too, the pilgrimage could not begin in the middle of the pandemic. But now the high court has directed the state government to resume the yatra under strict guidelines.

Hailing the order, senior BJP leader and religious affairs minister Satpal Maharaj said it was the government’s relentless follow-ups that helped the state in getting an approval for the yatra. While Congress state president Ganesh Godiyal said it was his party that played a crucial role in the case.

“We thank the high court for considering the demand (for opening Char Dham). The Char Dham pilgrimage was halted due to the government’s failure,” Godiyal said.

The shrines open every year in April-May and at the start of the winter season (October-November).

As Uttarakhand goes to polls next year, the BJP seemed to be fearing about a possible backlash from the voters of the Garhwal region over pilgrimage not being conducted within time. The yatra held for six months supports lakhs of people particularly in the Garhwal region — from tour operators, hotel and restaurant owners to the local priests amid many others.

The state was in the news early this year after the Haridwar Kumbh was dubbed as the Covid-19 “spreader” that led to the ferocious second wave in April-May.

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