Prayagraj
Paving the way for the second edition of the star-studded ‘Bazm-e-Virasat’ cultural festival, the Allahabad high court on Tuesday permitted the event to be hosted on the premises of Bishop Johnson School and College, a private unaided minority institution in Prayagraj.
The three-day extravaganza is scheduled from December 19 to 21, 2025.
Earlier, on October 14, the court had restrained educational institutions across the state from allowing their playgrounds and infrastructure to be used for “commercial activity” or by third parties, while emphasising that schools are “meant for imparting education only.”
A division bench comprising Chief Justice Arun Bhansali and Justice Kshitij Shailendra granted permission after determining the event to be a “non-commercial cultural activity” rather than a profit-making venture.
The bench clarified that this permission, granted based on its peculiar facts, does not relax the strict restrictions imposed by its earlier October 14 ruling.
The organisers approached the court after the school administration withheld permission, fearing violation of the October order.
The petitioner’s plea was that the foundation is a non-profit initiative dedicated to promoting composite culture and literature, funded by donations and could not be “painted with the same brush” as banned commercial exhibitions.
{{/usCountry}}The petitioner’s plea was that the foundation is a non-profit initiative dedicated to promoting composite culture and literature, funded by donations and could not be “painted with the same brush” as banned commercial exhibitions.
{{/usCountry}}However, the court said that this order should not become a precedent for commercial misuse of school grounds and warned that if any complaint indicating violation is received, the court will be “compelled to pass appropriate orders.”