PANAJI
In a case that raised concerns over religious sensitivities, a person who brazenly entered a temple with his shoes on during a bhajan on the auspicious Mahashivratri day and disrupted the religious worship has been convicted but spared imprisonment due to his age and medical conditions.
This incident unfolded on Mahashivratri festival around 8 pm on February 21, 2020 when around 15 villagers and Hindu priests were performing puja and bhajan at the Somnath temple in Assagao.
According to the police, who registered a case based on a complaint by Umesh Tanksali, accused Desmond Alvares entered the temple premises with his shoes on, a direct violation of customary practices, and began to dismantle the wires of the sound system used for the bhajan.
During the hearing, the prosecution submitted that when confronted by the complainant and witnesses, Alvares began shouting, demanding to stop the loudspeaker, and also threatened the complainant and another person, Hemant Marathe.
Even after being asked repeatedly, the accused refused to remove his shoes. As a result of these actions, the police were compelled to intervene and registered a case under sections 448 (trespass), 296 (disturbing religious assembly), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), and 506 (ii) (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code.
The judicial magistrate first class convicted the senior citizen for the offense except criminal intimidation but only imposed a penalty considering his age and medical condition. He is also asked to pay compensation to the two witnesses.
