Indian Supreme Court Halts New Suits Against Places of Worship Amid Petitions for Mosques

On Thursday, the Indian Supreme Court issued an order preventing trial courts from registering any new lawsuits regarding places of worship until further notice, Anadolu Agency reported yesterday.

This decision comes as the court reviews petitions challenging the Places of Worship Act, 1991, which aims to maintain the religious character of places of worship as they existed on August 15, 1947.

The bench, led by Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna, stated that no effective interim or final orders should be made in pending cases. The court has requested the central government to respond to the petitions within four weeks.

This ruling follows a series of petitions from Hindu groups asserting that several mosques were constructed on former temple sites. Notably, a local court had permitted a survey of a 13th-century Muslim shrine in Ajmer, and another survey of the Shahi Jama Masjid in Sambhal led to violent clashes, resulting in fatalities and injuries. The Supreme Court has since halted these proceedings.