New Delhi:The managing committee of the Gyanvapi mosque has filed an intervention plea in the Supreme Court in a batch of petitions challenging the validity of the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991, on Friday.
The committee's plea said the petitioners' demand to declare the 1991 law as unconstitutional will have drastic consequences across the country.
The application cited the recent incident in Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh, where a court permitted a survey of the Shahi Jama Masjid by allowing an application for appointment of survey commissioner the very day the suit was presented, in ex parte proceedings.
This led to a widespread violence and has claimed, as per reports, lives of six persons, it said.
"The declaration sought by the petitioner would mean such disputes rising their head in every nook and corner of the country and ultimately obliterate the rule of law and communal harmony."
The mosque committee contended that in the past few years, a number of claims have already been made with regard to various mosques/dargahs claiming them to be ancient temples.
It said that the mosque has been made the subject of multiple suits and the committee is therefore a crucial stakeholder in the petitions challenging the Places of Worship Act, reasoning why they should be allowed to intervene in the present petition.
It also stated that it was compelled to intervene in the case as the 1991 law was being misinterpreted and undermined through the filing of suits against mosques. The committee said that interim directions for surveys of the mosques were being sought even before the core issues were identified. The committee has relied on the Supreme Court's verdict in the Ram Janmabhoomi case to defend the validity of the Act.
A batch of petitions have been filed in the apex court challenging the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991, including those that question the validity of certain provisions of the law.
The apex court had first issued notice to the Centre seeking its reply to the pleas challenging the Act in March 2021. Following that, the apex court had issued notices on several related pleas and applications and tagged all matters so they could be heard together.
