PRAYAGRAJ: While observing that the religious places are for offering prayers and therefore the use of loudspeaker is not a right as it often causes nuisance to residents, the Allahabad High Court has dismissed a writ petition seeking a direction from the court to direct state authorities to permit to install loudspeakers on a masjid.
Dismissing a writ petition filed by one Mukhtiyar Ahmad of Pilibhit district, a division bench, comprising Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra and Justice Donadi Ramesh, observed, “Religious places are for offering prayers to the divinity and use of loudspeakers cannot be claimed as a matter of right, particularly when often such use of loudspeakers create nuisance for the residents.”
The petitioner – Mukhtiyar Ahmad filed the present writ petition before the high court seeking a direction from the state authorities to permit the installation of loudspeakers on a masjid. At the outset, the counsel for the state objected to the maintainability of the writ petition on the grounds that the petitioner is neither mutwalli nor the Masjid belongs to him.
While finding substance in the state’s objection, the court noted that the petitioner did not have locus to file the writ petition. The term ‘locus’ is a legal concept that refers to the right of a person or entity to participate in a legal proceeding or bring a lawsuit
The court in its decision dated Jan 22 further emphasised that since religious places are for offering prayers to the divinity, the use of loudspeakers cannot be claimed as a matter of right. The writ petition was accordingly dismissed. tnn
