After split verdict, SC orders burial of Christian man’s father 20 km away from Chhattisgarh village

A division bench of the Supreme Court on Monday delivered a split verdict on a petition challenging the Chhattisgarh High Court’s January 9 ruling denying a Christian pastor’s son the right to bury his father’s body at a graveyard in Bastar’s Chhindawada village, Bar and Bench reported.

However, the judges passed common directions to settle the matter instead of referring it to a larger bench since the pastor’s body had been kept in a morgue since January 7, Live Law reported.

The bench of Justices BV Nagarathna and Satish Chandra Sharma directed that the pastor’s body be buried 20 km from the village, as suggested by the Chhattisgarh government.

“These directions are issued to allay the sufferings of the family of the deceased,” the court said.

On January 20, the court said that it was pained that the Chhattisgarh government and High Court had not been able to resolve the complaint of Ramesh Baghel, who has not been able to bury his father Subhash due to objections from residents.

Subhash, a senior citizen, died on January 7 due to illness and his body has been kept in a mortuary since.

Baghel moved the Supreme Court after the High Court rejected his plea on January 9.

The High Court, in its order, noted that the Christian community does not have a separate graveyard in the village but…

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