The Delhi High Court has refused permission to organise Chhath Puja at Chintoo Park in Naraina Village, holding that a longstanding practice of celebrating at a site cannot, by itself, justify using a public green area.
New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on November 13, 2026 dismissed an application seeking permission to organise Chhath Puja over about 1,000 square metres of Chintoo Park in Naraina Village on November 15 and 16, holding that the park is being maintained as a green area for the public and that alternative arrangements for the festival are available [Lalit Anand v. Government of NCT of Delhi & Ors.].
Justice Jasmeet Singh took up the application, filed under Section 151 of the Code of Civil Procedure in a disposed-of writ petition, after it was mentioned during the vacation as an urgent matter.
The request
The applicant sought permission to hold Sandhya Arghya on the evening of November 15 and Usha Arghya early on November 16. He said Chhath Puja had been organised at the spot for 23 years, undertook to restore the park after the rituals, and relied on a document titled “Chhath Puja 2026: Single Window Management, Central District” that listed Chintoo Park among the venues.
The Delhi Development Authority opposed the plea, saying trees and flowers had been planted in the park and that the event could harm it and its upkeep.
What the Court said
“The fact that the applicant has been organising the Chhath Puja at the said location for several years, or that the present request is confined to a limited area and period, cannot, by itself, constitute a ground for permitting the use of a green area.”
The Court held that the single-window document could not override the directions it had already issued on August 19 in the same matter:
“It is a settled position that an administrative decision of the Executive or any other body cannot nullify or dilute a judicial order.”
Noting that the Delhi Government had already earmarked an area at Munak Canal for Chhath Puja, the Court found no justification for allowing the event in a park maintained as a green area, and dismissed the application.
Why the order matters
Every festival season brings requests to use parks and public spaces for religious gatherings. The order holds that past practice does not create a right to a particular public green space, especially when the land authority objects and the State has provided another venue for the same rituals.
It also reiterates a basic rule of judicial hierarchy: an executive listing of venues cannot water down an earlier court direction. The festival itself was not restricted; the Court only declined to shift it into a protected green area.
Case Title: Lalit Anand v. Government of NCT of Delhi & Ors. [W.P.(C) 36/2026; CM APPL. 78724/2026]
Bench: Justice Jasmeet Singh, Delhi High Court
Date of Order: November 13, 2026
For the Applicant: Nitish Kumar Singh, Amit Kumar Thakur and Shashank Kumar
For DDA: Ravikant Kumar