The Supreme Court has agreed to consider a fresh plea filed by AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi seeking the effective implementation of the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991, which mandates maintaining the religious character of places of worship as they stood on August 15, 1947.
A bench led by Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar ordered the tagging of Owaisi’s plea with other pending cases challenging the 1991 law. The court has scheduled the hearing for February 17, 2025.
Appearing for Owaisi, senior advocate Nizam Pasha highlighted the relevance of the new plea in light of ongoing petitions before the court. “We will tag this,” said Chief Justice Khanna, affirming the integration of the fresh application with the batch of similar cases.
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The plea, filed on December 17, 2024, by advocate Fuzail Ahmad Ayyubi on behalf of Owaisi, seeks a directive to the Union government to ensure strict enforcement of the law. It also raises concerns over several judicial orders allowing surveys of mosques based on petitions from Hindu litigants.
On December 12, 2024, the Supreme Court had directed lower courts to refrain from entertaining fresh suits or issuing interim orders in ongoing cases aimed at reclaiming religious sites, particularly mosques and dargahs. This directive came while hearing six petitions, including the lead case by lawyer Ashwini Upadhyay, challenging the constitutional validity of certain provisions of the 1991 Act.
The Places of Worship Act prohibits the conversion of religious places and seeks to preserve their status as of August 15, 1947. Owaisi’s plea emphasizes the necessity of upholding the law to prevent communal discord and ensure religious harmony. The upcoming hearing is expected to address both Owaisi’s plea and the broader constitutional challenges to the Act.
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