THE JHARKHAND STORY DESK
New Delhi, April 4: To prevent electrocution incidents during Ram Navami processions, the Supreme Court on Friday allowed the Jharkhand government and its power distribution company to impose temporary power cuts along procession routes.
This decision came as a modification to an earlier Jharkhand High Court order that had barred authorities from cutting power during religious events.
The Supreme Court will hear the case again on April 8 to review compliance with its directives.
Safety Concerns Behind Power Cuts
A bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justices Sanjay Kumar and KV Viswanathan acknowledged that this safety measure had been followed for over two decades.
Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, representing the JMM-led state government, pointed out that procession participants often carry long flags, which could come into contact with overhead electrical wires, leading to potential hazards.
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Supreme Court’s Directives
However, the Supreme Court instructed the state government to minimize power cuts and restrict them strictly to procession routes. It also mandated an uninterrupted power supply to hospitals during these planned outages.
Furthermore, the chief of Jharkhand Bijli Vitran Nigam Limited (JBVNL) was directed to submit an undertaking in the high court, ensuring that outages would be brief and essential services would remain unaffected.
Background
The case stemmed from the Jharkhand High Court taking suo motu cognizance on Thursday of the prolonged power cuts—up to 10 hours—during festival processions in Ranchi.
The high court had questioned the state government and the electricity department on the regulations permitting such extended power cuts, citing the inconvenience caused to the general public.
Following the Jharkhand High Court’s directive against power cuts, the state government challenged the order in the Supreme Court, where it secured approval for controlled outages under strict conditions.
Temporary power cuts along procession routes have been a longstanding practice during festivals like Sarhul and Ram Navami in Jharkhand. On April 1, power was cut for over 10 hours for the Sarhul procession, and a similar measure has been announced for Ram Navami processions on April 6.
