New Delhi, Nov. 12 (PTI): Delhi High Court today said the government should not issue coins with pictures of deities embossed on them, and asked if there were any guidelines for the release of commemorative coins.

“We are not saying, ‘discriminate against any religion’. We are saying, ‘don’t do it for any religion across the board’,” a bench of Chief Justice G. Rohini and Justice Rajiv Sahai Endlaw said.

“Is the State entitled to celebrate religious functions? Commemorate means to celebrate only,” the bench added.

The court was hearing a PIL filed by Delhi residents Nafis Qazi and Abu Sayeed, through lawyer A. Rasheed Qureshi, seeking withdrawal of coins that have religious symbols embossed on them.

During the proceedings, additional solicitor general Sanjay Jain submitted that issuing of commemorative coins to mark certain events is an international practice.

“But our country does not do that,” the bench responded.

The petition has sought a directive to the Reserve Bank of India and the finance ministry to withdraw the coins brought out in 2010 and 2013 with religious symbols on them.

“Direct Respondent 1 (Centre) to formulate a national policy whereby figures and symbols of any religion are prohibited from being made on any tangible or intangible property of the Indian State,” it said.

“These symbols undermine the secular character, a basic feature of the Constitution,” the petition added.

The government in 2010 brought into circulation a five-rupee coin in celebration of 1,000 years of Brihadeeswarar Temple, Thanjavur, with its image embossed on it.

The Brihadeeswarar temple, dedicated to Shiva and built by the Chola kings, is a Unesco World Heritage Monument.

“Again in 2013, Respondent 2 (RBI) brought out another five-rupee coin with the figure of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board embossed on it,” the petition said. These coins commemorated the silver jubilee of the board.

The additional solicitor-general said the coins were issued to commemorate a particular historical or religious event.

The court then asked him if there are guidelines for issuing such commemorative coins to mark landmark or religious events and directed that the same be placed before it by the next date of hearing, scheduled for December 3.