Chennai(India),Jan18,2012: Is conducting Ayudha Puja or Saraswathi Puja in government offices a non-secular activity deserving to be banned? 'No', the Madras high court has ruled."Showing respect to the place of work and the objects of work will in no way offend the feelings of others or affect secularism. Ayudha Puja is referable to prayer, reverence or respect given to objects through which an individual performs his profession or occupation. Ayudha Puja in its real terms transcends all religion," a division bench of Justice R Sudhakar and Justice Aruna Jagadeesan of the Madras HC has said.Dismissing a public interest writ petition, which sought a direction to the government to prohibit "all sorts of religious activities within the precincts of government offices", the bench said an individual showing respect to his occupational tools cannot be said to offend the secular nature of the state.The judges pointed out that Ayudha Puja and Saraswathi Puja fall on holidays and it could not be concluded that it was the state which performed these pujas at office."In government offices, if an individual shows respect and reverence to the materials, books, files or records which are being handled by the individual, it will be referable to his individual freedom and there is nothing to show that it affects the secular nature of the state."
