GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 16 Jan: The Congress party has filed an intervention application in the Supreme Court to oppose petitions challenging the constitutional validity of the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991. The move is in response to a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by BJP leader and lawyer Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay, questioning certain provisions of the Act.
By doing so, Congress has joined other political entities, including Asaduddin Owaisi’s All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM), in backing the implementation of the Act.
In its petition, Congress emphasized the importance of the Act in preserving the secular character of Indian society. It argued that any modifications to the law could disturb communal harmony and endanger the unity and integrity of the nation.
“The Applicant seeks to intervene in this matter to emphasise the constitutional and societal significance of the Places of Worship Act, as it apprehends that any alterations to it could jeopardize India’s communal harmony and secular fabric, thereby threatening the sovereignty and integrity of the nation,” Congress stated in its application, as reported by Bar and Bench.
The party further asserted that the Act is crucial for maintaining peaceful relations among all communities in the country. Congress also accused Upadhyay’s plea of being driven by questionable and oblique motives.
The intervention comes in the backdrop of a Supreme Court decision on December 12, 2024, which temporarily halted all surveys of places of worship, including mosques, as ordered by lower courts.
The Places of Worship Act, enacted in 1991, prohibits the conversion of any place of worship and maintains the status of such places as it existed on August 15, 1947. The ongoing legal challenge against the Act has sparked significant political and legal debate over its implications for India’s secular framework.
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