The Chhattisgarh High Court has ruled that persons do not require prior permission from authorities to hold religious prayer meetings in their own homes, provided no law is violated. The court made the observation while granting relief to two petitioners who had challenged police notices restraining them from conducting Christian prayer meetings inside their residence in Janjgir-Champa district.
Police Notices Quashed
The case arose after the Station House Officer of Nawagarh police station issued multiple notices to the petitioners under Section 94 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), directing them to stop organising prayer gatherings at their home.
The petitioners, who own adjacent plots in village Godhna, told the court that they had been holding prayer meetings for members of the Christian community since 2016 in a hall constructed within their house. They argued that the gatherings were peaceful and did not involve any unlawful activity or public disturbance.
Despite this, they alleged continued police interference, including notices issued on several dates in 2025 and 2026. They also said that a “No Objection Certificate” earlier granted by the local gram panchayat was later withdrawn under pressure.
Right to Worship in Private Spaces
The High Court noted that the petitioners were lawful owners of the property and had been conducting prayer meetings for years without any reported violations. It observed that there is no legal bar on holding religious gatherings within one’s private residence.
Accordingly, the court quashed the police notices and directed that authorities should not interfere in such activities as long as they remain within the bounds of law.
At the same time, the court clarified that if issues such as noise pollution or law and order concerns arise, authorities are free to take action under relevant legal provisions.
The state government opposed the plea, arguing that criminal cases had been registered against the petitioners in the past and that they had not sought prior permission for holding such gatherings. It maintained that the notices were issued as a preventive measure.
However, the court held that the absence of prior permission alone cannot be grounds to restrict religious practices within a private dwelling.
The ruling comes amid ongoing judicial scrutiny of religious freedoms across the country. In a related observation, the Allahabad High Court recently reiterated that while the Constitution guarantees the right to worship, it does not protect actions that incite one religious group against another under the guise of prayer.
At the same time, courts have consistently underlined that individuals are free to conduct religious practices within their private premises, irrespective of their faith, as long as such activities do not violate existing laws.
The Chhattisgarh High Court’s ruling reinforces this position, drawing a line between lawful religious expression and situations that may warrant state intervention.
