Supreme Court Examines Constitutional Validity of Places of Worship Act

The Supreme Court is reviewing petitions challenging the Places of Worship Act, 1991, which preserves the status of religious sites as of August 15, 1947, excluding the Ram Janmabhoomi site.

The focus is on Sections 3 and 4, which bar legal remedies to alter religious site status. Petitioners allege it upholds historical wrongs; opponents argue it targets Islamic sites.

Petitioners, led by BJP's Ashwini Upadhyay, claim the Act violates Hindu, Jain, Buddhist, and Sikh rights, while Muslim groups argue it promotes communal harmony.

SC directs that till it decides the case, courts are barred from registering new suits or surveys, passing final or interim orders, and giving the Union and respondents four weeks to file counters.