HC orders Amarnath board to let Ludhiana trust run langar

JAMMU: J&K and Ladakh high court has ordered Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) to restore permission to Ludhiana-based Bhole Bhandari Charitable Trust to set up a langar (community kitchen) at Panchtarni --- a scenic rest camp 15km from the last stoppage at Sheshnag Lake on the shrine route --- to serve the pilgrims. The court set a week's deadline for the compliance.

Justice Rahul Bharti in his order on Tuesday observed the petitioner trust was arbitrarily and discriminatorily excluded from setting up a langar, despite 28 years of unblemished service record.

Welcoming the court order, Rajan Gupta, a trustee of Bhole Bhandari Charitable Trust, told TOI, “Bhole Bhandari Charitable Trust remains committed to selfless service, as we have done for nearly three decades.”