No law above judicial scrutiny: Shah on Places of Worship Act

‘Country Might Have Uniform Civil Code By ’24’

New Delhi: Ahead of the December 12 deadline set by the Supreme Court for the Centre to spell out its stand on the Places of Worship Act, 1991, Union home minister Amit Shah on Thursday said no law is above judicial scrutiny.

Responding to a question on the government’s stand on the Places of Worship Act, which has frozen the character of all places of worship as they existed on August 15, 1947, Shah refrained from commenting specifically on the law enacted in the face of the campaign for Ram Mandir, which has been challenged on the grounds that it is violative of freedom of religion and worship.

“After the Ayodhya judgement, a few more disputes have cropped up and the law enacted in 1991 has also been challenged. I should not speak about these issues from a public platform because these are sub judice. However, I must say that every law should pass legal scrutiny,” he said during the Times Now Summit on the theme ‘India: Vibrant Democracy, Global Bright Spot’.

Asked if the government proposes to amend the law, the minister said the court has sent a notice to the Centre and it will clear its stand soon on the subject. Despite his reluctance to comment specifically on the law in question, Shah’s remarks are seen as significant and the first potential peek into the government's thinking on the matter.

Shah also dealt with the sensitive issues of Uniform Civil Code, stressing that the country might have it by 2024 but there would be a healthy and open debate on the subject, as well as the CAA and NRC.