‘Installing loudspeakers inside mosques not fundamental right’: Allahabad HC

After the loudspeaker row erupted in Maharashtra, the Uttar Pradesh government removed speakers from many religious places such as mosques and temples. Amid this controversy, the Allahabad High Court said that having loudspeakers in mosques is “not a fundamental right.”

Dismissing a petition seeking the installation of loudspeakers inside mosques, the Allahabad High Court said, “The installation of loudspeakers in mosques is not a fundamental right." A division bench of Justice Vivek Kumar Birla and Justice Vikas passed the order.

The high court bench, while dismissing the petition, said, “The law says that it is not a constitutional right to use loudspeakers in mosques.” This comes as the authorities in Uttar Pradesh have been cracking down on the usage of loudspeakers in religious places.

This judgment was passed in response to a petition filed by a man named Irfan, challenging the order filed by Bisauli Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) of Badaun district on December 3, 2021. The order stated that the loudspeaker cannot be installed inside the Noori Masjid for azaan.

Filing a plea against the order issued by the SDM, the petitioner said that this rule was “illegal” and was violating the legal and fundamental rights of the people. The high court later dismissed this petition, saying that no fundamental rights are being violated.

Recently, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said that the sound from the loudspeaker installed inside a religious place should not be heard outside the premises. The UP government has also removed several loudspeakers from religious places for violating certain rules.

This comes as a loudspeaker row has taken over several states such as Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra, where authorities have been urged to take action against loudspeakers in places of worship.

MNS leader Raj Thackeray has been speaking out openly against the usage of loudspeakers inside the premises of mosques in Maharashtra, urging the state government to take action against it. Many MNS workers were also detained recently for playing Hanuman Chalisa outside the mosques that were using loudspeakers for azaan. 

READ | Loudspeaker row: As Raj Thackeray’s deadline ends, MNS workers play Hanuman Chalisa near Mumbai mosque