Apex Court to Hear Pleas Concerning Places of Worship Act on 17 February

The Supreme Court will hear on Monday (17 February), a batch of cross-petitions questioning the validity of the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991, (POWA), and others seeking effective and proper enforcement of the 1991 law - that prohibits 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.

- PARMOD KUMAR

The batch of cross-petitions are listed before a bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna, Justice Sanjay Kumar, and Justice K.V. Viswanathan.

In the last hearing of the petitions on 12 December 2024, the Supreme Court had restrained all the courts across the country from passing any effective interim or final order including that of the surveys in pending suits staking a claim over the existing religious structures.

By its 12 December 2024, order, the bench had ordered that no fresh suits can be registered making claims over other religious places while the court is hearing cross-petitions challenging the constitutionality of Section 3 and 4 of the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991 and others seeking "effective and proper" enforcement of the 1991 law.