Kochi: Kerala High Court on Friday strongly condemned the practice of bursting crackers in religious places at odd hours. The court has banned the practice and ordered the district collectors to raid all religious places and seize illegally stored crackers with the help of police commissioners.

The ruling is of single-bench judge Amit Rawal. “There is no commandment in any of the holy book to burst crackers for pleasing the God," the Court noted.

The court said, the violation of the interim order will initiate contempt proceedings.

"I thus direct the Deputy Collector with the Assistance of the Commissioner of Police, Cochin and other districts, to conduct raids in all religious places and take into possession of the crackers illegally stored in all religious places and issue instructions that henceforth onwards no crackers shall be burst in religious places at odd times," the order read.

The court issued the interim order while hearing a plea seeking judicial intervention to curb the practice. The petitioners highlighted that heavy explosive-based fireworks pose a threat to buildings in the nearby areas. The indiscriminate firework displays have been disturbing the peace and causing pollution, the petition said. 

The court also directed the state government to submit a report on the matter. The court will take up the matter again on November 24. 

According to reports, even religious institutions without explosive licences possess a huge quantity of explosives.

The petitioners have sought the intervention of the court for preventing the bursting of the crackers in all the religious places situated in Kerala.

"This fact is not denied by the learned counsel representing the respondents as well as the fact that even this court had also heard the noise of the crackers even after midnight," the court said.

The petitioners contended that explosive licences are being issued by the District Collector under Explosive Rules and many of the temple holders, except few, are not having any licences.

With PTI inputs