SC halts new suits, orders or surveys on places of worship

The ruling halts 18 lawsuits seeking surveys to determine the original religious character of mosques, including Gyanvapi in Varanasi and Shahi Idgah in Mathura

The Supreme Court on Thursday temporarily restrained all courts from hearing new lawsuits or passing orders in ongoing cases seeking the reclamation of religious sites, particularly mosques and dargahs. The CJIled bench, including Justices Sanjiv Khanna, Sanjay Kumar, and K V Viswanathan, stated that no fresh suits should be registered until further notice. This halts proceedings in 18 lawsuits filed by Hindu parties seeking surveys to determine the original religious character of mosques like Gyanvapi in Varanasi, Shahi Idgah in Mathura, and Shahi Jama Masjid in Sambhal, where clashes resulted in four deaths.

The special bench was hearing about six petitions, including the lead one filed by lawyer Ashwini Upadhyay, challenging various provisions of the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991.

The 1991 law prohibits conversion of any place of worship and provides for the maintenance of the religious character of any place of worship as it existed on August 15, 1947.

However, the dispute relating to Ram JanmabhoomiBabri Masjid at Ayodhya was kept out of its purview.