RAIPUR: The Chhattisgarh High Court on Tuesday ruled that individuals do not require prior permission from authorities to conduct prayer meetings within their private residences.
The Court further clarified that no law exists in the state that restrains citizens from organising such spiritual gatherings in their own dwelling houses.
The ruling came during the hearing of a writ petition filed by Badri Prasad Sahu and Rajkumar Sahu, both residents of Godhna village in Janjgir-Champa district.
The petitioners, who are relatives and recorded landowners, had constructed a hall on the first floor of their house. Since 2016, they have been organising Sunday prayer meetings for believers of Christianity at this location.
The petitioners approached the High Court seeking a writ of mandamus after the Nawagarh police station issued a series of notices between October 2025 and February 2026. These notices, issued under Section 94 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023, were intended to restrain the family from conducting prayer meetings in their home.
The petitioners alleged constant harassment by the police and noted that a previously granted “No Objection Certificate” (NOC) from the Gram Panchayat had been revoked under external pressure.
During the proceedings before High Court Justice Naresh Kumar Chandravanshi, the state’s counsel opposed the petition, arguing that the petitioners had criminal records and had previously been jailed. The state further contended that the police notices were justified because the petitioners had not sought prior permission to hold religious gatherings.
Justice Chandravanshi dismissed the state’s requirement for prior permission, emphasising that there is no law preventing a person from organising prayers or prayer meetings in their dwelling house. The Court stated that prior permission from authorities is not required, provided the meetings do not violate existing laws.
On police powers, the Court said authorities can intervene in cases of noise pollution or genuine law-and-order issues, but cannot harass citizens or interfere with civil rights under the guise of an “enquiry”.
Consequently, the High Court quashed the impugned police notices issued on October 18, 2025, November 22, 2025, and February 1, 2026. While the Court declined to interfere with the Gram Panchayat’s decision to withdraw the NOC, it effectively rendered the lack of an NOC irrelevant to the petitioners’ right to pray privately.