PIL against Places of Worship Act The PIL states that this law is working to validate the places of worship built illegally by the invaders. The petition has been filed by former MP Chintamani Malviya through advocate Rakesh Mishra.
New Delhi, IAS. A case has come up in the Supreme Court challenging the Places of Worship Act, 1991. A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) has raised questions on the validity of the Act. The PIL states that this law is working to validate illegally built ‘places of worship’ by barbaric invaders who entered the country, hence it should be declared unconstitutional. Let us inform that this petition has been filed by former MP Chintamani Malviya through advocate Rakesh Mishra.
Violation of rights of Hindus, Jains, Buddhists and Sikhs
The petitioner contends that Section 3 of the Places of Worship Act, 1991 is violative of Articles 14, 15, 21, 25, 26, 29 and is unconstitutional. The PIL states that Article 13(2) is capable of preventing the State from enacting a law to take away the rights granted under Part-III, but the Act provides for the rights of Hindus, Jains, Buddhists and Sikhs in their ‘places of worship and pilgrimages’. Takes away the right to save.
Questions raised on Article 29
The PIL further states that the right to restore and preserve the script and culture of Hindus, Jains, Buddhists, Sikhs guaranteed under Article 29 has been openly outraged by the Act.
7 petitions have already been filed
Let us inform that 7 petitions have already been filed in the Supreme Court against the Place of Worship Act 1991. Earlier, the narrator Devkinandan Thakur had also filed a petition. Including this petition, a total of 8 petitions have been filed in the Supreme Court so far. This includes a petition moved by advocate Ashwini Upadhyay, Varanasi resident Rudra Vikram and religious leader Swami Jitendranand Saraswati, on behalf of Devkinandan Thakur.
