Earmarking new burial ground spaces, Maharashtra informs Bombay high court – Times of India

MUMBAI: Maharashtra informed Bombay high court that it had last month proposed earmarking separate spaces for burial grounds for the Muslim, Christian and Hindu communities admeasuring 3,000 square mtrs. each.
It has been cleared and been placed before the minister-in-charge of the urban development department for a final decision, state advocate general Ashutosh Kumbhakoni informed the HC bench of chief justice Dipankar Datta and Justice M S Karnik on June 6 in a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) on the subject filed by one Mohammed Quereshi in 2016.
Advocate Himanshu Kode appearing for Rehbar Khan an ex-municipal councillor from Bandra submitted that the PIL is filed specifically for requirements of a burial ground for the Sunni community. He said they have to walk for over five km at times to the burial ground and the procession may then cause other blockades.
Kumbhakoni sought two weeks on June 6 to apprise the HC on the decision of the minister-in-charge.
The HC recorded Kode’s submission that the State’s search for suitable burialgrounds began at the instance of Sunnis and that the State “ought to be directed to earmark the identified plot for the Sunni community’.
“We have no doubt that this aspect of the matter would fallfor consideration by theMinister-in-Charge while heproceeds to take a decision on the question of approval of the minutes of the DevelopmentPlan Scrutiny Committee andthat an appropriate informed decision would be taken,” said the HC and posted the matter to June 20.