The Supreme Court criticized the Chhattisgarh government over a Christian man’s plea to bury his pastor father in their village graveyard, as villagers aggressively opposed and police threatened legal action. The pastor’s body has remained in a mortuary since January 7, sparking outrage. The court has sought the state’s response, questioning the inaction and strange orders from lower authorities.
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NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court criticized the Chhattisgarh government and asked for its response to a petition filed by a Christian man who said he is unable to bury his pastor father in Chhindawada village. The villagers have strongly opposed the burial, and the police have allegedly threatened him with legal consequences if he proceeds.
A bench of Justices B V Nagarathna and Satish Chandra Sharma expressed shock that the body has been lying in a mortuary at the district hospital and medical college in Jagdalpur since January 7, when the pastor passed away, and no action has been taken by the authorities since then.
The court pulled up the Chhattisgarh government while demanding its response to the plea.
The bench remarked,
“Leave the village panchayat, even the high court has passed a strange order. What is the state government doing?”
The matter is scheduled for hearing on January 20.
The petition was filed by Ramesh Baghel, who belongs to the Mahra caste.
Baghel argued that his father, who was a pastor, had the right to be buried in the area traditionally used for Christian burials.
The High Court, relying on a certificate from the village sarpanch stating that there are no separate burial grounds for Christians, denied Baghel’s request. The court reasoned that allowing the burial might create unrest and public disharmony.
The pastor had died after a prolonged illness due to old age. According to Baghel, Chhindawada village has a graveyard that has been informally divided by the gram panchayat into sections for different communities, including tribals, Hindus, and Christians. Baghel also noted that his aunt and grandfather were buried in the Christian section of the same graveyard.
“After the death of his father, the petitioner and his family wanted to hold last rites of his father and wanted to bury his mortal remains in the area specified for Christian persons in the above-mentioned village graveyard.”
However, some villagers objected aggressively and threatened serious consequences if Baghel and his family proceeded with the burial in the designated Christian area. The family was also prohibited from burying the body on their own private land.
Baghel’s plea highlighted that the villagers insist a Christian cannot be buried anywhere in the village—whether in the village graveyard or on privately owned land.
“When the villagers turned violent, the petitioner’s family made a report to police on which 30-35 police personnel reached the village. The police also exerted pressure on the family to take the body out of the village.
“They have also threatened that if the dead body is buried as per Christian rites in their village, they will take legal action against the petitioner and his family,”
-the plea added.
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