SC pauses surveys of places of worship till hearing ends

The Supreme Court on Thursday paused all surveys of places of worship as it began hearing petitions challenging certain provisions of the Places of Worship Act. The top court directed lower courts to not admit or pass any order on surveys of mosques, till it next hears this matter. Among the six petitions facing the court was one by the BJP's Subramanian Swamy. The main petition was filed four years ago after which the government was told to respond, but never did. On the other side, certain petitions sought enforcement of the Act, which prohibits filing a lawsuit to reclaim a place of worship or seek a change in character that prevailed on August 15, 1947. The Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991 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. It, meanwhile, allowed pleas of various parties including Muslim bodies seeking to intervene in the proceedings.
The court also instructed all lower courts to not examine cases related to the surveys of places of worship or pass any orders in such matters.The matter was taken up by a Bench comprising Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna and Justices PV Sanjay Kumar and KV Viswanathan.Petitioners, including religious leaders, politicians, and advocates, claim the Act violates the rights of Hindus, Jains, Buddhists, and Sikhs to restore and manage their places of worship, breaching their constitutional rights under Articles 25, 26, and 29. “Application for impleadment stands allowed. Union has not filed a counter, let the counter filed within four weeks,” the top court said.According to a PTI report, the apex court asked the Centre to file its reply to the pleas and cross ones in four weeks and granted a further of four weeks to other parties to file their rejoinder after the Centre filed its reply.The bench would accord the hearing after completion of pleadings.