"Enough Is Enough": Supreme Court Denies New Requests in Places of Worship Case

 

"Enough Is Enough": Supreme Court Denies New Requests in Places of Worship Case 

The court has permitted the submission of an intervention petition with additional justifications but has declined to send out notices regarding the newly filed petitions thus far. 

Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna has voiced his dissatisfaction over the numerous new petitions related to the Places of Worship Act, 1991, which prevents any legal actions aimed at reclaiming a place of worship or altering its nature. “Enough is enough. There needs to be a limit to this,” he stated during a hearing this morning, emphasizing that the Supreme Court will not consider any further petitions on this issue. 

Nevertheless, the court has allowed for the submission of an intervention petition with extra reasons while choosing not to issue notices on the new petitions that have emerged until now. 

The stern comments from the Supreme Court came as it continued to deliberate on the petitions challenging the validity of the Places of Worship Act, which is crucial given the legal attempts to reclaim Hindu temples that were demolished. This law was enacted in 1991 to prevent any alterations to the religious identity of a worship site as it stood on August 15, 1947. The Ram Janmabhoomi case was excluded from its scope. 

The initial petition questioning the validity of this law was brought forth by Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay, but last year, the court halted the proceedings regarding 18 lawsuits from Hindu groups aiming to reclaim 10 mosques and combined all cases related to temple and mosque disputes. This includes the disputes concerning the Shahi Idgah-Krishna Janmbhoomi, Kashi Vishwanath-Gyanvapi mosque, and Sambhal mosque. 

As a result of this decision, multiple opposition parties rushed to the Supreme Court supporting the law, while Hindu organizations and right-leaning groups expressed their dissent against it.