London:
A devout Hindu Davendra Ghai has won a long fought battle in British courts for the right to be cremated on a traditional funeral pyre.
His plea had earlier been turned down on the grounds that burning human remains anywhere other than a crematorium went against British law.
71-year-old Davendra Ghai who describes himself as a devout Hindu spiritual healer, says he can now die a peaceful death knowing that his send off will be according to his religious beliefs. He has been fighting for the right to be cremated on an open-air funeral pyre.
"A mother had come to me and wanted an open air funeral for her son whose body had been lying for six months but the city council had refused saying it was illegal. They give land to Muslims and Jews. They could have accommodated me. Now the judge has said as long as it is structure that has pillars, walls, some sun on it, we can cremate," said Davendra Ghai.
The court of appeal, today allowed cremations on funeral pyres in Britain with the caveat that they be held in a structure with walls and a roof with an opening and not an open field.
Ghai was refused a permit for a cremation site in a remote part of Northumberland in Northern England in 2006.
The Newcastle City Council had said the burning of human remains anywhere outside a crematorium was prohibited under the 1902 Cremation Act.
Ghai won his four-year battle not on the issue of religious freedom but on the definition of building under 1902 cremation act. He says he has already spent his last penny on fighting this battle and now will spend whatever he earns on erecting a cremation structure for Hindus in the UK.
After the court's judgement on May 8, 2009,
Ghai vowed to continue his fight, saying the final rites of Hindus "must be done with dignity".
"It looks like a conspiracy that the judgment is given when I am in India for medical treatment. But I will not give up. I will ensure that Hindus are given a good death that is fundamental to their beliefs," Ghai had said on May 8, 2009 after the court's judgement against funeral pyre.
Also read:UK court rejects bid to allow Hindu-style funeral pyresUK Hindu vows to fight on over cremation right