A Muslim body has moved the Supreme Court seeking to oppose a plea filed by a Hindu organisation challenging a provision of a 1991 law that provides for maintaining the “religious character” of holy structures as it existed on August 15, 1947, in a bid to open the litigation route to reclaim disputed religious sites other than the Ram Janmabhoomi in Ayodhya.
The petition filed by ‘Jamiat Ulema-I-Hind’, seeking impleadment in the plea filed by ‘Vishwa Bhadra Pujari Purohit Mahasangh’, has prayed that the court should not entertain the petition challenging the provision of the 1991 law.
“At the outset this application is being filed to oppose the present Writ Petition, so that this Court is pleased to not issue notice in the present petition. It is submitted that even issuance of notice in the present matter will create fear in the minds of the Muslim Community with regard to their places of worship, especially in the aftermath of the Ayodhya Dispute and will destroy the secular fabric of the nation,” the Jamiat’s plea said.
It said the petition of the Mahasangh proceeds on the basis that Section 4 of the Places of Worship Act prevents members of the Hindu community from reclaiming those places of worship which according to them were Hindu religious structures but were allegedly converted by Muslim invaders. It is apparent that the present petition seeks to indirectly target places of worship which are presently of Muslim character, the Jamiat’s petition said.