[Marxistindia] 1991 Places of Worship Act Should Remain

[news from the cpi(m)]

March 13, 2021

Press Statement

The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has issued  
the following statement:

1991 Places of Worship Act Should Remain


It is unfortunate that the Supreme Court has opened the way for a  
re-examination of the Places of Worship (Special Provision) Act, 1991.  
The Act mandates that the character of all religious places of worship  
should be maintained as it was on August 15, 1947, and no suit or  
proceedings shall lie in a court of law with respect to the character  
of places of worship.

This effectively barred courts from entertaining cases which raise  
disputes over places of worship that existed as of August 15, 1947.  
The law further provided that such cases already pending in courts  
would stand abated.

The Act, however, granted an exception for the Babri  
Masjid/Ramjanmabhoomi site at Ayodhya, which was then under dispute.  
While invoking this exemption, the Supreme Court in the 2019 Ayodhya  
verdict reaffirmed that similar such cases cannot be entertained with  
respect to other sites in view of this Act.

The Polit Bureau of the CPI(M) reaffirms that the grounds on which  
this law was enacted need not be re-examined. The Central Government  
must respond to the Supreme Court seeking its views in a firm  
affirmation of the Places of Worship Act, 1991.