When a lawyer believes he has encountered a supernatural entity, who does he turn to for guidance? Surprisingly, not a judge, but a higher authority – God, or in this case, multiple gods. This raises the question: Why did the Advocates’ Association organize a multi-faith worship ceremony at Jharkhand’s new high court complex on Thursday?
Chief Justice Sanjay Kumar Mishra, along with other judges, attended the puja alongside the lawyers. The new court building is located right next to a graveyard, and according to a government counsel, paranormal activities are a regular occurrence in the area. These activities allegedly include eerie howling sounds that are presumably not from animals.
It seems that the government lawyers, who often work late hours compared to their counterparts, are particularly affected by these unexplained happenings. However, the association secretary, Navin Kumar, differs in opinion. He claims that the worship ceremony was a customary practice when transitioning into a new workplace, and had nothing to do with the paranormal.
Regardless of the reason, it was comforting for the lawyers who believed they heard the strange howling sounds to have priests from different faiths, including Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, Christian, and Jain, as well as a tribal ‘pahan’, bless the court complex. The prasad (blessed food) provided during the ceremony was typical – ‘puri-sabji’, ‘kheer’, and ‘bundiya’.
The lingering question remains: will the howling sounds cease now that the complex has been blessed?
The newly-constructed two-storey court complex, spanning across 167 acres, was inaugurated on May 24 and commenced its first case on June 12.