Judge summons Hindu gods to court

Patna, India -- A judge in India has put out a call for two Hindu gods to "appear before the court personally" to help find an answer to a property dispute.

Judge Sunil Kumar Singh has taken out advertisements in newspapers ordering the gods Ram and Hanuman to testify before the court, the BBC reported Friday.

The 20-year-old dispute revolves around 1.4 acres of land that host two temples, one dedicated to each of the two gods referred to by Singh.

Temple priest Manmohan Pathak claims to own the land that houses the holy buildings, but locals claim the plot belongs to the gods themselves.

"You failed to appear in court despite notices sent by a peon and later through registered post. You are hereby directed to appear before the court personally," Singh's notice said.

The judge earlier sent notices to the gods, but they were returned due to incomplete address information.

Bijan Rawani, a lawyer for locals who claim the land belongs to the gods, said it is important to get input on the case from the deities.

"Since the land has been donated to the gods, it is necessary to make them a party to the case," he said.

Copyright 2007 by United Press International.