Mumbai: Ex-MLA Krishna Hegde Writes To CM Shinde Seeking Extension Of Midnight Mass On Christmas Eve

Mumbai: Former MLA and spokesperson of Shiv Sena, Krishna Hegde, wrote to Chief Minister Eknath Shinde requesting him to allow the Christian community to hold midnight mass on Christmas Eve. Hegde requested Shinde to extend the mass timings on Christmas Eve to 1 am.

Midnight mass have been pre-poned for a few years: Hegde

“As per the tradition, Christians will hold their midnight mass on December 24. The timings of the midnight mass have been pre-poned for a few years," Hegde wrote in his letter to the chief minister. "I would request you to kindly make an exception this year and grant the Christian community time till 1 am on December 25 so that they can have the midnight mass as per their tradition in their respective churches and parishes."

The ex-MLA further added, "We have given extension of time during festivals in the past and hope the government will consider my request."

Christians flag error in government's noise rule notification

Ahead of Christmas, Christians drew the state government's attention to an error in the loudspeakers notification for 2023 which mentions Christmas Day as December 24 when the correct date should be December 25. This was the second year the government has made mistake in the notification for noise rules notification.

The community said that the error was confusing as the midnight mass is not held on Christmas Day but on Christmas Eve, December 24. The error was made in the notification issued on February 15 by the collector, Mumbai Suburban District, regarding the relaxation of timings for the use of loudspeakers and public address systems on various festival days throughout the year 2023.