SC to hear petitions on Dec 12 challenging provisions of Places of Worship Act

New Delhi, Dec 07: The Supreme Court will hear on December 12 a batch of petitions challenging certain provisions of Places of Worship (Special Provision) Act, 1991, that prohibit the filing of a lawsuit to reclaim a place of worship or seek a change in its character from what prevailed on August 15, 1947.

A special bench of Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna and Justices PV Sanjay Kumar and KV Vishwanathan will hear the case at 3.30 pm.

The Act prohibits conversion of any place of worship and to provide for the maintenance of the religious character of any place of worship as it existed on the August 15, 1947.

Earlier today, Asaduddin Owaisi, the chief of All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), launched a scathing attack on the BJP-led government amid petitions claiming that temples lie beneath mosques and alleged that the ruling party has an "invisible hand" behind every "Vahini," "Parishad," and "Sena."

"The people of India are being pushed into fights over history where none existed. No nation can become a superpower if 14 per cent of its population faces such constant pressures. Behind every "Vahini" "Parishad" "Sena" etc, there is the invisible hand of the ruling party. They have a duty to defend the Places of Worship Act and put an end to these false disputes," Owaisi said in a post on X.