Trial Essential to Define 'Religious Character of Place of Worship': Allahabad HC | 02 Jan 2024

Why in News?

The Allahabad High Court's recent stance in the Gyanvapi case suggests that the Places of Worship Act, 1991 does not clarify “religious character of any place of worship” and can only be determined in a trial, based on documentary and oral evidence, on a case-to-case basis.

Key Points

• The Places of Worship Act,1991 bars the conversion of religious sites into places of worship for a different religion or sect.
  • It also mandates preserving the religious identity of any place of worship as it stood on 15th August, 1947.
• The Gyanvapi case is a legal battle concerning the ownership and religious identity of Varanasi's Gyanvapi complex, housing both a mosque and a temple.
  • Hindu plaintiffs argue that the entire area, including the mosque site, was originally a temple dedicated to Swayambhu Lord Adi Vishweshwar.
  • They claim that this temple, once on the Gyanvapi plot, was demolished by Emperor Aurangzeb in 1669.
• Neither the government nor the Supreme Court has presented a clear stance on this issue to date.