Devout Hindu Davender Ghai was overjoyed with the Court of Appeal ruling that will allow him to be cremated on an open-air funeral pyre. Although British law forbids cremations anywhere aside from crematoriums, Ghai believes that an open-air cremation is critical for a good death and rebirth. While many cremations in India take place on the banks of rivers, this cremation will occur inside a building with an opening. In the original ruling the Ministry of Justice argued that Ghai’s wishes did not conform to British laws, though the appeals judges argued that the original ruling was too limited in its definition of what qualified as an adequate structure for cremation. This verdict could set a new precedent for the more than half-million Hindus living in the United Kingdom. Read more here.
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