New Delhi: The Supreme Court has constituted a special bench to hear a series of PILs challenging the constitutional validity of certain provisions of the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991. The law prohibits filing lawsuits to reclaim places of worship or alter their character as it stood on August 15, 1947, reports The New Indian Express.
The hearing is scheduled for December 12 before a three-judge bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna, Justice Sanjay Kumar, and Justice K.V. Viswanathan. One of the primary pleas, filed by advocate Ashwini Upadhyay, seeks to overturn Sections 2, 3, and 4 of the Act, arguing that these provisions deny individuals and religious organisations the legal right to reclaim places of worship.
There are multiple lawsuits filed in various courts, including those involving the Shahi Idgah Masjid in Mathura, Gyanvapi Masjid in Varanasi, and Shahi Jama Masjid in Sambhal. These petitions claim that the mosques were built after ancient temples were destroyed and seek permission to conduct Hindu prayers there. In response, the Muslim side has largely invoked the 1991 Act to argue that such cases are legally untenable.