In a fervent appeal to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi has called for a robust defense of the Places of Worship Act. His plea follows the recent Supreme Court decision to stay the Allahabad High Court’s order in the Sri Krishna Janmabhoomi-Shahi Idgah Masjid dispute.
The Places of Worship Act, enacted in 1991, prohibits the conversion of any place of worship and ensures the preservation of their religious character as it existed on August 15, 1947.
Owaisi questioned the Prime Minister’s silence on the matter, asserting, “The day that the Prime Minister states that he is standing with the Places of Worship Act 1991, there will be no more issues. When the Prime Minister states that all places of worship will belong to those under whose authority they were as of August 15, 1947, and there will be no changes, then no further issues will arise. Why is he not saying it?”
Lauding the Supreme Court’s recent decision, Owaisi emphasized, “The Supreme Court has done the right thing. In the Babri Masjid dispute, the Supreme Court stated that the Places of Worship Act comes from the basic structure of the Constitution. When the Supreme Court says this, why does the government not agree with it?”
On Tuesday, the apex court stayed the appointment of an advocate commissioner to survey the Shahi Eidgah mosque adjoining the Krishna Janmabhoomi temple in Mathura. A bench of justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta deemed the application seeking the appointment of a local commissioner as “vague.”
The bench emphasized, “You can’t file a vague application for the appointment of a court commissioner. It should be very specific on the purpose. You can’t leave everything to the court to look into it,” addressing senior advocate Shyam Divan, who appeared for Hindu bodies.
The court was responding to a plea filed by the Committee of Management Trust of the Shahi Masjid Idgah challenging the Allahabad High Court’s order from December 14 last year. The order was passed on an application seeking the restoration of the 13.37-acre land of the mosque. The mosque committee contends that the lawsuit filed by Hindu devotees is barred by the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991.
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