UK: Hindu wins right to open-air cremation

London, Feb 11: Years-long legal battle to get his last wish granted turned fruitful for 71-year-old Hindu man on Wednesday, Feb 10, when a Court of Appeal gave its nod to an open-air cremation.

Davender Ghai has been fighting the now famous 'funeral-pyre case' for years as UK law requires all cremations to take place within a building with a wall and a roof.

In 2006, he was refused a permit for an open-air cremation site in Northumberland by a local authority. The spiritual leader challenged the ruling at the High Court in London and lost in May 2009.

On Feb 10, the Court of Appeal not only overturned the High Court's ruling but also ruled that the ceremony could be carried out without a change in the law.

Ghai was able to convince the court to pass this verdict after he promised to surround the pyre with walls and a roof with an opening.

The Hindu fought the long battle as he believes that an open air cremation is essential for the release of his spirit into the afterlife, which accounts for a 'good death'.

OneIndia News