In a case where ancient devotion collided with modern renovation, the Delhi High Court has intervened to protect the spiritual place of Devi Padmavati, whose idol was quietly sidelined during temple refurbishment—and not returned.
Back in 1978, the idol of Devi Padmavati was placed with reverence in the sanctum sanctorum of a prominent Jain temple in Delhi. Fast forward to 2018: renovations began, idols were temporarily relocated, and when the dust settled—Devi Padmavati’s idol was still missing from its original seat. Instead, plans were underway to give her place to another tirthankara.
That decision didn’t sit well with followers. A legal plea—filed in the name of the deity—demanded her reinstatement. But the trial court dismissed it with a shrug, suggesting that since God is everywhere, the idol’s placement was of little consequence. The High Court, however, was not amused.
Justice Anup Jairam Bhambhani called out the lower court’s approach as “flippant,” emphasizing that matters of faith deserve deeper scrutiny—not blanket dismissals. “The proposition that God is omnipresent does not, in itself, answer why the appellant’s idol—worshipped in the temple for decades—was not returned to its rightful place,” he remarked.
Rejecting the idea that devotion could simply be relocated without consequence, the Court issued an interim directive: the original seat in the sanctum must be kept vacant, and full rituals must continue to be performed for the idol in its temporary home. In short: hold the seat, respect the tradition.
The case now waits for its next hearing on August 28, where faith, heritage, and legal reasoning are all poised to meet once more.
