Bilaspur, March 31 The Chhattisgarh High Court has ruled that individuals do not need prior permission from authorities to organize religious prayer meetings at their homes, provided no law is violated.
A single bench of Justice Naresh Kumar Chandravanshi made this observation while quashing notices issued by the police to two petitioners, and directed authorities not to interfere with their civil rights.
According to the order delivered on March 24, the case involves two relatives from Godhna village, under the Nawagarh police station limits in the Janjgir-Champa district.
The petitioners had been organizing prayer meetings for followers of Christianity in a hall on the first floor of their residence since 2016.
They argued in their petition that despite no disturbance or unlawful activity during these gatherings, the local police had been issuing notices under section 94 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023, to prevent them from holding such meetings.
The petitioners told the court that notices dated October 18, 2025, November 22, 2025, and February 1, 2026, were served to stop them from conducting prayer meetings at their residence.
They further submitted that the Gram Panchayat of Godhna had earlier issued a no-objection certificate permitting the gatherings, but later withdrew it under pressure.
Seeking relief, the petitioners urged the HC to quash the notices and restrain the police from interfering in their right to hold prayer meetings at their private residence.
Opposing the plea, Deputy Government Advocate Shobhit Mishra argued that criminal cases had been registered against the petitioners in the past and that they had even been jailed.
The petitioners had not obtained prior permission from competent authorities for organizing such gatherings, prompting the police to issue notices, the state counsel argued.
The HC, in its order, noted that there is no need to obtain prior permission from any authority for conducting a prayer meeting if it is organized without violating any law.
"The petitioners are the registered owners of these lands where they have been organizing 'Prayer Meetings' for followers of Christianity since 2016. There is no law that prevents any person from organizing a prayer or prayer meeting in their dwelling house. Furthermore, there is no need to obtain prior permission from any authority for conducting a prayer or prayer meeting if it is organized without violating any law," Justice Chandravanshi noted.
If any nuisance is caused due to noise pollution or a situation of law and order arises, then it is always open for authorities to take necessary action under the provisions of the relevant laws, the HC maintained.
"The respondents/police authorities are directed not to interfere with the civil rights of the petitioners and shall also not harass them under the guise of enquiry," it said, and quashed the notices issued to them by the police.