After New Zealand, India's Ganges gains legal status of a person

The river Ganges was recognised Monday as the first living entity of India by the Uttarakhand High Court.

One of the largest rivers in India, Ganga is considered to be the holiest river in the country and holds a high place in its mythology. The Ganges is worshipped as a goddess, and for centuries Indians have come to it, especially in Varanasi, to be near its holy banks and to cremate their loved ones by it.

Recognising a river as a living entity means granting it the same legal rights as a human being. The new status means if someone pollutes river Ganges, the law will see it equal to harming a human being.

This ruling comes only four days after New Zealand's parliament granted the same rights to the 145-kilometre long Whanganui River, after calling it a living entity. The river became the first in the world to be legally recognised as a living entity and was granted the same rights as a human being.

Also Read- New Zealand river gains legal status of a person

The court also ruled the government to form a Ganges Administration Board for cleaning and better maintenance of the river. Earlier in the month, the court came heavily down upon the Union and Uttarakhand state government for doing "nothing concrete" to clean the river.

The court slammed them for wasting efforts on reviving a lost river Saraswati but not taking efforts on maintaining Ganga which if given proper attention will once again flow in its full glory.

"The Ganges should be saved for the generations to come," the court added.

The Executive Committee of the National Mission for Clean Ganges had recently approved 20 projects, 13 of which are in Uttarakhand, worth Rs1,900-crore to be swiftly implemented in Uttarakhand, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh.

Even non-Indians have been captivated by the Ganges. Among others, the American musician from the Grateful Dead, lead guitar player Jerry Garcia, had half his mortal remains scattered in the Ganges.

#BREAKING: #Uttarakhand High Court Recognises River #Ganga As India's First Living Entity. . pic.twitter.com/TtbUwkgZjK

— Sir Ravindra Jadeja (@SirJadeja) March 20, 2017

#Uttarakhand High Court recognises river #Ganga as first living entity of India pic.twitter.com/6MkmNS4XuS — Doordarshan News (@DDNewsLive) March 20, 2017