Justice Markandey Katju, a former Supreme Court judge and native of Allahabad, where the Kumbh Mela is held, critiques the politicization of this religious event in 2025. Having attended Kumbh Melas since 1954, he notes an unprecedented presence of political posters of PM Narendra Modi and UP CM Yogi Adityanath throughout the Mela premises. Katju argues that this year’s event, backed by a governmental expenditure of over Rs 9000 crores, marks a stark deviation from the secular ethos enshrined in India’s Constitution, specifically Article 51A(h), suggesting it’s a strategic move for upcoming elections, thus violating the principle of secularism.