No shrines in public places : SC

Coming down heavily on shrines that spring up illegally on public spaces, the Supreme Court on Friday directed the government to guard against such encroachment and warned that any official shirking his duty in this regard would be taken to task. “The solicitor general will file an affidavit to ensure that no temple, church, mosque or gurudwara is constructed on a public street/public space,’’ the judges said. However, they didn’t pass any order on demolition of existing religious institutions saying it could lead to disturbance of law and order.The government, in its appeal, had said that removal of religious places was a sensitive issue and that the structures must be subjected to scrutiny and classification before demolition.