Iqra Choudhary
| Photo Credit: ANI
Samajwadi Party leader and Kairana MP Iqra Choudhary has moved the Supreme Court for an effective implementation of the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991, which mandates that the religious character of a place be maintained as it existed on August 15, 1947.
Hearing on Feb. 17
A Bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar on Friday (February 14, 2025) took up the plea of the lawmaker, represented by senior advocate Kapil Sibal, and ordered its listing with other pending pleas on February 17 without issuing a notice.
Ms. Choudhary, the Lok Sabha MP from U.P.’s Kairana, sought to curb the increasing trend of legal actions targeting mosques and dargahs, which “threaten the communal harmony and the secular fabric of the country”.
The top court previously agreed to examine a separate plea of AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi with a similar prayer.
The Akhil Bhartiya Sant Samiti, a Hindu outfit, had moved the top court seeking to intervene in cases filed against the validity of provisions of the 1991 law.
The Congress also filed an intervention application in the top court to oppose the pleas challenging the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991.
Published – February 15, 2025 10:14 am IST