The Shahi Masjid Committee has asked the Supreme Court to bypass the Central Government’s delayed responses in the Places of Worship Act case. The committee claims repeated extensions since March 2021 have hindered legal proceedings. The Supreme Court is yet to decide on this request, emphasizing the case’s potential impact on related suits.
New Delhi: The Shahi Masjid Committee in Mathura has moved the Supreme Court, alleging that the Central Government is deliberately delaying its response in the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991 case. The committee filed a plea on Monday, urging the court to remove the Centre’s right to reply so the case can proceed without further obstruction.
Allegations of Deliberate Delay
The mosque committee accused the Centre of intentionally not filing its reply, thereby “obstructing those who are opposing the challenge to the Places of Worship Act” from submitting their responses. It highlighted that the Supreme Court granted the Centre four weeks on December 12, 2023, to file its reply, but no response has been submitted to date.
The plea emphasized that the Centre had first been issued a notice in March 2021 and had since been granted multiple extensions. Despite this, the Centre has yet to comply, causing significant delays in the proceedings.
Background of the Case
The Shahi Masjid Committee serves as an intervenor in a series of petitions related to the Places of Worship Act, 1991, which prohibits altering the religious character of any place of worship as it existed on August 15, 1947. The committee is responsible for managing the Shahi Masjid Eidgah in Mathura, a site involved in 17 legal suits currently being heard by the Allahabad High Court.
Supreme Court’s Recent Orders
Last month, the Supreme Court issued directives that:
- No surveys of places of worship could be conducted.
- No fresh suits could be registered regarding such matters.
- Lower courts were instructed not to pass any orders or examine cases related to the survey of places of worship.
The mosque committee’s plea underscores the urgency of resolving the matter without unnecessary delays, as the outcome could impact multiple cases tied to the religious character of historical sites. The Supreme Court is yet to decide on the committee’s request to proceed without the Centre’s reply.
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