NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday expressed its displeasure on several pleas being filed in connection with the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991, saying there should be a limit to such applications.
Supreme Court Delays Hearing on Places of Worship Act Controversy
A bench of Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna and Sanjay Kumar deferred its hearing but questioned filing of so many petitions.
“We will not take up the Places of Worship Act matter today. It is a three-judges matter. Too many petitions filed. List sometime in March. There is a limit to interventions being filed,” the bench said.
Petitions Challenging 1991 Places of Worship Act Pile Up in SC
The court said those petitions in which no notice has been issued would stand dismissed with liberty to the petitioners to file impleadment applications.
It scheduled the matter for hearing on April 1.
Several political parties including Congress and political persons have filed the petitions in the matter.
The court had on December 12, last year passed an interim order.
Many Political parties such as CPI (M), Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), NCP (Sharad Pawar group) MLA Jitendra Awhad, RJD (Rashtriya Janata Dal) MP (Member of Parliament) Manoj Kumar Jha, MP Thol Thirumavalan and AIMIM Chief Asaduddin Owaisi have sought to intervene in the matter, supporting the PoW Act.
The top court is seized of many pleas, including by lawyer, Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay, seeking a direction that Sections 2, 3 and 4 of the PoW (Special Provisions) Act, 1991, be set aside.
Another plea was filed by former Rajya Sabha MP Subramanian Swamy, against the provisions of the 1991 law. Swamy wanted the apex court to "read down" certain provisions to enable Hindus to stake claim over the Gyanvapi Mosque in Varanasi and Shahi Idgah Mosque in Mathura.
The Act 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.
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