Pandharpur Yatra: Supreme Court refuses permission to allow 250 registered Palki's to perform annual pilgrimage

The Supreme Court today dismissed a plea filed by Pandharpur Waris seeking directions to allow warkaris and 250 registered Palkis to complete the annual pilgrimage to Lord Vithal Temple.

Bench of Chief Justice NV Ramana, Justice AS Bopanna and Justice Hrishikesh Roy while dismissing the plea said,

“You know the restrictions, Counsels and you want to be allowed with people and all that, we cannot allow.”

Filed by Sant Namdev Maharaj Sansthan and filed through Advocate on Record Swati Vaibhav, the plea had also challenged the decision by State of Maharashtra to only allow ten palkis to perform Dindi (assimilation of Warkari who commence their journey reciting the Srimad Bhagavad Gita) in the wake of Delta Plus variant of CoVID 19.

The plea submitted that by allowing only 10 paliks “in an arbitrary manner” to form Dindi instead of the 250 registered palkis, the State of Maharashtra would create hardships for the Warkaris from Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana in completing their wari which would normally start from their home to the temple of Lord Vithal situated at Pandharpur.

Case Title: Sant Namdev Maharaj Sansthan v State Govt of Maharashtra