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| Funeral pyre fight reaches court | Funeral pyre fight reaches court |
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| A Hindu man's fight to allow bodies to be burned in open-air cremations in the UK is due at the High Court. | A Hindu man's fight to allow bodies to be burned in open-air cremations in the UK is due at the High Court. |
| Davender Ghai, 70, a devout Hindu, wants to overturn a Newcastle Council decision preventing funeral pyres being held in line with religious practice. | Davender Ghai, 70, a devout Hindu, wants to overturn a Newcastle Council decision preventing funeral pyres being held in line with religious practice. |
| Mr Ghai insists that the process is essential to free the soul after death. | Mr Ghai insists that the process is essential to free the soul after death. |
| Hindus in India have been carrying out such cremations for more than 4,000 years, but their requirements are impractical in UK council crematoria. | Hindus in India have been carrying out such cremations for more than 4,000 years, but their requirements are impractical in UK council crematoria. |
| In 2006 Newcastle City Council refused Mr Ghai permission to establish a site for cremations in the open. | In 2006 Newcastle City Council refused Mr Ghai permission to establish a site for cremations in the open. |
| The council said the burning of human remains anywhere outside a crematorium was prohibited under the 1902 Cremation Act - a ruling the Ministry of Justice agreed was correct. | The council said the burning of human remains anywhere outside a crematorium was prohibited under the 1902 Cremation Act - a ruling the Ministry of Justice agreed was correct. |
| Mr Ghai, a Hindu campaigner and founder of the Anglo Asian Friendship Society charity, is seeking a judicial review of the decision. | Mr Ghai, a Hindu campaigner and founder of the Anglo Asian Friendship Society charity, is seeking a judicial review of the decision. |
| Following the 2006 decision he organised the cremation of a Hindu man in a meadow in countryside near the city. | Following the 2006 decision he organised the cremation of a Hindu man in a meadow in countryside near the city. |
| Northumbria Police had raised no objections to the service, but following further investigations admitted it may have been illegal. The Crown Prosecution Service decided not to take it further. | Northumbria Police had raised no objections to the service, but following further investigations admitted it may have been illegal. The Crown Prosecution Service decided not to take it further. |
| I will not deny my claim is provocative, least of all in a nation as notoriously squeamish towards death as our own Davender Ghai Robert Pigott's Faith Diary Can Britain accept funeral pyres? | I will not deny my claim is provocative, least of all in a nation as notoriously squeamish towards death as our own Davender Ghai Robert Pigott's Faith Diary Can Britain accept funeral pyres? |
| Mr Ghai now wants a clear ruling from the High Court that open air funeral pyres are legal in England and Wales. | Mr Ghai now wants a clear ruling from the High Court that open air funeral pyres are legal in England and Wales. |
| "As a Hindu, I believe my soul should be liberated in consecrated fire, 'Agni', after death - a sacramental rebirth, like the mythical phoenix arising from the flames anew," he said. | "As a Hindu, I believe my soul should be liberated in consecrated fire, 'Agni', after death - a sacramental rebirth, like the mythical phoenix arising from the flames anew," he said. |
| "I will not deny my claim is provocative, least of all in a nation as notoriously squeamish towards death as our own. | "I will not deny my claim is provocative, least of all in a nation as notoriously squeamish towards death as our own. |
| "However, I honestly do not believe natural cremation grounds would offend public decency - as long as they were discreet, designated sites far from urban and residential areas." | "However, I honestly do not believe natural cremation grounds would offend public decency - as long as they were discreet, designated sites far from urban and residential areas." |
| Some British Hindus send the bodies of their relatives to India to ensure they are burnt in line with traditional practice. | Some British Hindus send the bodies of their relatives to India to ensure they are burnt in line with traditional practice. |
| Others fly the ashes there so they can be placed in the sacred River Ganges. | Others fly the ashes there so they can be placed in the sacred River Ganges. |
| A number of British rivers - including the Soar, the Thames and the Wye - have been "anointed with water from the Ganges", to make them credible substitutes for the holy river. | A number of British rivers - including the Soar, the Thames and the Wye - have been "anointed with water from the Ganges", to make them credible substitutes for the holy river. |
| Hindus constitute the third biggest religious group in the UK, and there is potentially significant demand for open-air cremations, said BBC religious affairs correspondent Robert Pigott. | Hindus constitute the third biggest religious group in the UK, and there is potentially significant demand for open-air cremations, said BBC religious affairs correspondent Robert Pigott. |
| Do you think open-air cremations should be allowed? Do your religious beliefs mean you would wish to take advantage of this ceremony? You can send us your comments using the form below: | |
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