Representative image of people doing suryanamaskar
Credit: Reuters File Photo
Jaipur: The Rajasthan High Court will hear a petition tomorrow challenging the decision to mandatorily perform surya namaskar in government schools across the state.
A number of Muslim organisations under the banner of Muslim Forum had filed a petition in the High Court seeking annulment of mass surya namaskar in schools from February 15.
The High Court is set to hear the case on February 14.
The petition filed by AIMIM state general secretary Kashif Zuberi says the move is unconstitutional and violates Article 25 of the Constitution which guarantees the freedom to profess, practice and propagate religion to all citizens. He said the government’s order infringes on the religious freedom of citizens, guaranteed by the Constitution.
The suryanamaskar programme is set to begin in schools from Feb 15 as part of surya saptami.
Jamiat Ulema e Hind, another organisation, has appealed to students to boycott the programme and not attend schools on Feb 15. They said the mandatory programme is direct interference in the religious freedom of any person. Jamiat’s state general secretary Abdul Waheed Khatri said Hindus revere Sun as god but in Islam, there is no one else above Allah.
On the other hand, state education minister Madan Dilawar, has said that surya namaskar is not a religious activity and that a number of other countries have adopted the namaskar as a form of yoga, which is celebrated the world over on June 21.
Health experts say surya namaskar is a complete body workout that enhances flexibility, strength, stamina, mental focus and overall fitness as it involves a series of posture and breathing exercises.