M.H.S.Ansari, J. - (1.) The present writ application is filed by the Society administering the school in question. The petitioner No.1 is registered as a Society under the Societies Registration Act, 1860 and the petitioner No. 2 is the Secretary of the said Society. It is avered in the application that the object of petitioner No. 1 Society inter alia, as follows; "to establish, maintain and run a Vidyalaya to be named Shree Digambar Jain Vidyalaya and other institutions for imparting education in literature, science, commerce, industry, fine arts and other useful knowledge including Digambar Jain religion."
(2.) Pursuant to the aforesaid object, it is stated, that the petitioner No. 1 founded and established Shree Digambar Jain Vidyalaya in the year 1956 and Shree Digambar Jain Balika Vidyalaya in the year 1960. In the instant writ petition, we are concerned with Shri Digambar Jain Balika Vidyalaya and for the sake of convenience, it is hereinafter referred to as the school in question.
(3.) The petitioners claim that the society is founded and established by Jains and that Historically, Philosophically and in terms of Customs, usage, dogma, doctrine, objects, forms, methods and ritual of worship, pantheon of Tirthankaras, epistemology, cosmology, cosmogony, ethics, places of pilgrimage and in myriad other ways, Jainism has always been a distinct religion and that its followers constitute a significant minority in India.;