HYC said the temple goes against the secular ethos of public administration
By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Nov 14: The Hynniewtrep Youth Council (HYC) on Friday petitioned the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), seeking immediate clarification and suspension of any proposed or ongoing religious construction, reportedly a temple, on the premises of the agency’s office at Mawdiangdiang, New Shillong Township.
In a letter emailed to the branch head of CBI Shillong, HYC president Roy Kupar Synrem urged the agency to conduct an internal verification into reports of religious construction inside its compound. He called for the immediate suspension of all works pending such verification to prevent any irreversible alteration or potential violation of state laws.
Synrem stated that if the construction is found to have commenced without approval, the CBI should initiate action under the Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorised Occupants) Act, 1971, and relevant regulations to remove the structure and restore the premises to its “original secular state.”
The organisation has also sought a written clarification from the CBI within two weeks, detailing the current status of the construction, approvals obtained, if any, and measures undertaken to ensure constitutional and statutory compliance.
Synrem maintained that the petition is not directed against any particular faith, but is aimed at safeguarding the secular ethos of public administration. He said the CBI, as a neutral investigative body, must uphold constitutional morality and equality before the law.
“We place our utmost trust in the integrity and responsibility of your office,” the petition stated, while urging the CBI to take corrective and preventive actions in accordance with law and “in the true spirit of constitutional governance and public accountability.”
The HYC president said the reported construction of a temple on the CBI’s premises raises serious questions regarding constitutional propriety, statutory compliance, and administrative neutrality.
He pointed out that under the Meghalaya Building Bye-Laws, 2021, any construction, alteration, or change of land use requires permission from the competent authority. Institutional lands, it noted, are restricted to non-religious administrative or educational functions.
The HYC president also said that the Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorised Occupants) Act, 1971, defines government lands and buildings as “public premises,” and prohibits any unauthorised occupation or construction.
The organisation further invoked constitutional principles, noting that secularism is a part of the basic structure of the Constitution, as upheld in landmark Supreme Court judgments including S.R. Bommai vs Union of India and Kesavananda Bharati vs State of Kerala. These rulings mandate that the state must maintain strict neutrality in matters of religion.
The petition also referenced multiple High Court rulings, such as those in Kerala (Soman vs State of Kerala) and Madhya Pradesh (State of MP vs Laxman Prasad Sharma), which directed the removal of unauthorised religious structures from government lands, holding that their presence “disturbs the secular fabric of governance.”
Citing analyses, including a Sabrang India report summarising judicial consensus on the issue, HYC argued that religious structures inside public institutions violate Articles 14 and 15 of the Constitution.
The HYC asserted that the CBI’s credibility rests upon its perceived neutrality and fairness. Synrem said that any religious construction on its premises could create a symbolic association with a particular faith, undermining public trust in the agency.
