By Prior Beharry
THE High Court has granted the Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha (Maha Sabha) permission to have a decision of the Health Ministry to prohibit open-pyre cremations for Covid-19 victims judicially reviewed.
Justice Nadia Kangaloo gave her decision on Thursday after the Maha Sabha had filed the application seeking judicial review on Monday.
The application was supported by affidavits of the acting secretary general of the Maha Sabha Vijay Maharaj and its spiritual head Dharmacharya Dr Rampersad Parasram who was a former chief medical officer.
In a press release on Friday, the Maha Sabha stated that the issue was first raised in the public domain by its legal adviser and MP for Chaguanas West Dinesh Rambally.
The Maha Sabha is claiming that open-pyre cremations do not cause the spread of Covid-19, they were also more costly to those in crematoriums and some of their rituals and rites were compromised.
The case was filed by the lawyers of Sovereign Chambers including Rambally, Kiel Taklalsingh, Stefan Ramkissoon and Rhea Khan.
