The Supreme Court on Tuesday will hear a bunch of pleas regarding the Places of Worship Act. The petitions challenge the constitutionality various provisions of the Act. The Muslim side has also moved petitions seeking the implementation of the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991 in full spirit.
The apex court will hear petitions challenging the constitutionality of certain provisions of the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991, which mandates maintaining the religious character of a place as it existed on August 15, 1947. A bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar will hear the matter on Tuesday. The apex court had earlier restricted courts across the country from registering fresh pleas or passing interim orders in connection with the Act.
The law prohibits conversion of any place of worship and provides for the maintenance of the religious character of any place of worship as it existed on August 15, 1947. However, the Ayodhya Ram Mandir issue was kept out of its purview.
The apex court’s order stalled proceedings in at least 18 lawsuits filed across the country to ascertain the religious character of 10 mosques including Gyanvapi at Varanasi, Shahi Idgah Masjid at Mathura and Shahi Jama Masjid at Sambhal.
The chief justice of India-led bench earlier expressed displeasure in February over a fresh slew of pleas filed over the Places of Worship Act and observed “there should be a limit for intervention applications moved regarding the matter”.
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The petitioners in the case include persons from all walks of life including the daughter of the Kashi royal family, Maharaja Kumari Krishna Priya; BJP leader Subramanian Swamy; former MP Chintamani Malviya; Anil Kabotra, a retired army officer; advocates Chandra Shekhar; Rudra Vikram Singh, resident of Varanasi; Swami Jeetendranand Saraswati, a religious leader; Devkinandan Thakur Ji, resident of Mathura and a religious guru and advocate Ashwini Upadhyay.
The Muslim side argues the pleas must be dismissed and the consequences of granting the Hindu side’s prayer will be “drastic”.
