New Delhi8 minutes ago
According to the law, a place of worship of any religion which came into existence before August 15, 1947 cannot be converted into a place of worship of any other religion.
The Supreme Court has agreed to hear on Thursday the petition of AIMIM Chief Asaduddin Owaisi related to the place of worship law. In the petition, Owaisi has demanded implementation of the Places of Worship Act of 1991.
According to the law, a place of worship of any religion which came into existence before August 15, 1947 cannot be converted into a place of worship of any other religion.
A bench of CJI Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar ordered that Owaisi’s fresh petition be clubbed with six other cases pending on the issue. Hearing on this will be held on 17th February.
The last hearing on 6 petitions related to the case was held on December 12. On December 12, a 3-member bench of the Supreme Court heard the petitions filed on the validity of some sections of the Places of Worship Act (Special Provisions) 1991.
The bench had said, “We are examining the scope, powers and structure of this law. In such a situation, it would be appropriate that all other courts keep their hands off.”
During the hearing, CJI Sanjeev Khanna said- We have two cases before us, Shahi Idgah of Mathura and Gyanvapi Masjid of Varanasi. Then the court was told that more than 18 such cases were pending in the country. Of these, 10 are associated with mosques. After this, the Supreme Court asked the Central Government to present its stand on the petitions within 4 weeks.
CJI Sanjeev Khanna said- We cannot hear until the Center files its reply. No such new case should be filed till our further orders.
Arguments for and against the petition
- Hindu side: BJP leader and advocate Ashwini Upadhyay, Subramaniam Swamy, storyteller Devkinandan Thakur, Princess Krishna Priya of Kashi, religious leader Swami Jitendranand Saraswati, retired army officer Anil Kabotra, Advocate Chandrashekhar, Rudra Vikram Singh, Varanasi and some others have filed the petition. These people violated the Places of Worship Act-1991 demanded to be declared unconstitutional Is.
- Muslim side: Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind, Indian Muslim Personal Law Board, Anjuman Intejamia Masjid Committee that manages Gyanvapi Masjid, RJD MPs Manoj Jha and Asaduddin Owaisi have also filed petitions in this matter. Jamiat argues that considering the petitions against the Act will lead to a flood of cases against mosques across the country.
Why was this law made? Actually, this was the period when the Ram Mandir movement was at its peak. BJP leader Lal Krishna Advani took out a Rath Yatra from Somnath on 25 September 1990. It was to reach Ayodhya on 29 October, but on 23 October he was arrested in Samastipur, Bihar. The order to arrest was given by Janata Dal Chief Minister Lalu Yadav. The effect of this arrest was that the Janata Dal’s VP Singh government at the Center fell, which was running with the support of the BJP.
After this, Chandrashekhar separated from VP Singh and formed the government with the support of Congress, but this too could not last long. Fresh elections were held and the Congress government came to power at the centre. PV Narasimha Rao became the Prime Minister. Due to the increasing influence of the Ram Mandir movement, many other temple-mosque disputes started arising along with Ayodhya. The Narasimha Rao government had brought this law to put an end to these disputes.
,
Also read these news related to the case…
If the temples under 36 thousand mosques cannot be changed, then why is a survey like Sambhal allowed?
Hindu Sena President Vishnu Gupta claimed Ajmer Sharif Dargah to be Sankatmochan Mahadev Temple. The court accepted the petition. This trend continues unabated in different parts of the country. This has gained momentum after the decision of Ram temple in Ayodhya came in 2019. Read the full news…
How many controversies like Sambhal Jama Masjid, temple-mosque dispute from Jaunpur to Badaun
Four people died in the violence that broke out after the survey in Jama Masjid in Sambhal. Before Sambhal, lives were also lost over Babri Masjid and Ram Temple in Ayodhya. The issue of Ayodhya has been settled with the intervention of the court. After the decision on Ayodhya, there is a demand for investigation of all those religious places in the entire country where there is such dispute. Read the full news…
