The Indian National Congress has approached the Supreme Court, opposing petitions challenging the provisions of the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991.
In a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by BJP leader and lawyer Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay questioning the constitutional validity of the Act, Congress has submitted an intervention application.
The application emphasizes that the Act is crucial for upholding secularism in India, asserting that the challenge to its validity appears to be a motivated and malicious effort to undermine the established principles of secularism.
"The Applicant seeks to intervene in this matter to emphasize the constitutional and societal significance of the POWA, 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," the political party said in the application.
The Congress expressed concerns that any amendments to the Places of Worship Act could endanger India's communal harmony and secular fabric, posing a potential threat to the nation's sovereignty and integrity.
The Jamiat Ulama-I-Hind had previously approached the Supreme Court, seeking to intervene as a party in Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay's plea. Similarly, All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi has moved the Supreme Court, urging the implementation of the Act.
In December 2024, the Supreme Court directed trial courts to refrain from issuing substantive orders or conducting surveys of existing religious structures in cases disputing their religious character until the resolution of the challenge to the Act.
Website designed, developed and maintained by webexy