Press Release:
Survey of Muslim places of worship suspended until further order

No fresh suits in Lower Courts, Survey of Ajmer Sharif Dargah Halted

This is a significant decision. We hope it will curb those spreading sectarianism and unrest in the country: Maulana Arshad Madani

New Delhi, 12 December 2024 :Maulana Arshad Madani, President of Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, described the Supreme Court’s decision as a major and important one.

In a statement, he expressed hope that the ruling would stop those responsible for spreading communalism and unrest in the country.

He mentioned that given the sensitivity of the matter, they had expected the court to deliver a final verdict, but even the interim decision was satisfactory .

The court has put a halt on surveys of Muslim places of worship until further orders and has imposed a ban on the filing and hearing of new cases in lower courts.

Maulana Madani pointed out that the survey of the Shahjahanpur Royal Jama Masjid under the pretext of examining its history clearly showed that communal elements, by claiming mosques and shrines as temples, were using such surveys to create chaos and disrupt centuries-old peace, unity, and brotherhood in the country.

He said that this is the main reason why such people find the 1991 Act on the Protection of Places of Worship like a thorn and are hatching a dangerous conspiracy to get it repealed in one way or another.

 A petition to repeal this law  was filed in the Supreme Court in 2022. Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind opposed it and approached the Supreme Court in its  support .

Maulana Madani further mentioned that they had accepted the decision on the Babri Masjid with great difficulty, believing it would end mosque-temple disputes and promote peace and unity in the country.

However, he expressed disappointment that their hope had been proven wrong. Today, once again, a conspiracy is being hatched to make the country’s situation explosive, just as the communal forces did during the Babri Masjid dispute.

He added that the conduct of lower courts in this matter had been disappointing. Had the lower courts acted with better judgment, five innocent young men from Sambhal would not have lost their lives.

He stated that even now, the administration and local police in Sambhal were treating people there harshly, and Muslims from the area are unable to seek justice.

Maulana Madani concluded by stating that today’s decision is significant, as no new surveys will take place, and no new cases will be heard in lower courts. He expressed confidence that the final decision would uphold the 1991 law, as it was the only law capable of preventing rising communalism and religious extremism in the country.

The petition filed by Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind in this case is Civil Writ Petition 782/2022, on which the court issued a notice to the central government on 9 September 2022. Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind is the only organization that filed a special petition to protect this law, and at the first hearing of the petition seeking to overturn the law, Senior Advocate Rajeev Dhawan appeared for Jamiat Ulama. Since then, the organization has been actively pursuing the case.

In today’s hearing, only five petitioners’ requests were listed, with Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind demanding the retention of the law, while the other four petitioners sought to abolish the Worship Act. After Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind approached the Supreme Court, other Muslim organizations joined the case as intervenor.
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