A new lawsuit in the Supreme Court challenges the Places of Worship Act

On Wednesday, a petition was filed in the Supreme Court challenging the constitutional validity of certain sections of the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act 1991, claiming that it flagrantly violates secularism and the rule of law.

Swami Jeetendranand Saraswati, a religious leader, argued that Sections 2, 3, and 4 of the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act 1991 were unconstitutional.

The sections, according to the plea, not only flagrantly contradict Articles 14, 15, 21, 25, 26, 29, but also flagrantly violate the values of secularism and rule of law, which are important parts of the Preamble and the Constitution’s basic framework.

According to the petition, the injury to Hindus, Buddhists, Jains, and Sikhs has been enormous because Sections 2, 3, and 4 of the Act have taken away the right to seek the Court, thus closing the access to judicial recourse.

“No individual shall convert any place of worship of any religious denomination or any section thereof into a place of worship of a different section of the same religious denomination or of a different religious denomination or any part thereof,” says Section 3 of the Act.

Section 4 prohibits any litigation or other legal action for the conversion of any place of worship’s religious character as it existed on August 15, 1947.