Congress has moved a plea in the Supreme Court challenging petitions seeking to amend the Places of Worship Act. The party argued that any alterations to the Act would hurt the communal harmony in the country.
Moving an intervention application challenging Bharatiya Janata Party leader and lawyer Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay’s plea questioning the constitutional validity of the Act, the Congress said the Act is essential to safeguard secularism in India. The Places of Worship Act was passed during in 1991, during then prime minister P.V. Narasimha Rao’s regime.
"The applicant seeks to intervene in this matter to emphasize the constitutional and societal significance of the Places of Worship Act, as it apprehends that any alterations to it could jeopardize India's communal harmony and secular fabric thereby threatening the sovereignty and integrity of the nation," Bar and Bench reported quoting the petition.
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Congress said the motive behind Upadhyay’s petition was questionable. The key opposition party said any alteration to the Act could threaten the sovereignty and integrity of the nation.
The Congress’s petition comes as the apex court is set to hear pleas questioning the constitutionality of the Act. While the Hindu side argues certain provisions of the Act are against the Hindus, the Muslim side has opposed the move to amend the Act and said any changes to the Act will be ‘catastrophic’.
The Supreme Court has restricted courts across the country from registering new pleas challenging the Act or passing interim orders in matters under trial.