'Not Written in Vedas': No Live Stream of Char Dham Yatra, Says U'khand CM

The Uttarakhand High Court stayed the state government's decision to hold the pilgrimage amid the COVID pandemic.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said that religious ceremonies performed in the inner sanctorum of Char Dham Yatra will not be live-streamed.

(Photo: IANS)

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said that religious ceremonies performed in the inner sanctorum of Char Dham Yatra will not be live-streamed "as it is not written in the Vedas."

Speaking to reporters he said, “After taking into account all the suggestions, we have decided not to hold live streaming of Char Dham Yatra as it is not written in the Vedas.”

Earlier, the state cabinet had allowed for the religion pilgrimage to take place from 1 July, even as India is expecting a third wave of COVID-19. However, on 28 June, the Uttarakhand High Court stayed the decision.

A division bench of Chief Justice RS Chauhan and Justice Alok Verma had rebuked the state administration saying, “Already holding of Kumbh Mela and permitting a large congregation of lakhs of people on Ganga Dussehra at Har-ki-Pauri at Haridwar, are clear cut proof of the failure of the civil administration to administer the precautionary SOPs.”

The HC proposed the option of live-streaming the ceremonies instead.

But after a meeting with the Uttarakhand Char Dham Devasthanam Management Board on 17 July ,CM Dhami said that the live-streaming of only the outer premises of the shrines would be possible.

The Uttarakhand government also suspended the kanwar yatra amid detections of the Delta variant of COVID in the state, even as neighbouring Uttar Pradesh is deciding to go ahead with the pilgrimage.

(With inputs from ANI)