"Protects the secular fabric": MP Karti Chidambaram on Places of Worship Act
Dec 12, 2024
New Delhi [India], December 12 : Congress MP Karti Chidambaram on Thursday strongly defended the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991, as the Supreme Court will be hearing pleas challenging the law.
Speaking to the ANI, Chidambaram emphasized that the Act was crucial in maintaining the secular fabric of India and should not be altered.
"The provisions of the Places of Worship Act, 1991, protect the secular fabric of the nation. Any alteration to the Act is very problematic," Chidambaram stated.
He stressed that changing the law would not only disrupt the social harmony but could have broader consequences for India's unity.
"How far are we going to go back as every country is filled with rulers coming in and imposing their will? We can't keep going back in time and we should draw a line and adhere to the line drawn by Places of Worship Act, 1991."
The Act, which prohibits the conversion of any place of worship and ensures that the religious character of places of worship remains the same as it was on August 15, 1947, has been a subject of controversy in recent years. The current Supreme Court hearing seeks to address petitions that challenge its constitutional validity, with some arguing that it infringes on religious rights.
Earlier, RJD MP Manoj Jha stated that the party has also filed an intervention in the matter.
"In the parliament, a bill (places of worship act) was passed at a time when the generation had already suffered a lot. The status quo should be maintained," Jha said.
Meanwhile, Advocate Ashwini Upadhyay called for surveys to be conducted at all disputed sites to determine the true character of each place.
"This is a place of worship act, not a place of prayer act. The temple is known as a place of worship, whereas the mosque is a place of prayer. The law talks about character, not identity...We want surveys to be conducted of all the disputed places so that the true character of the place can be known...This is not a matter of Hindu-Muslim...The places that have been mentioned in Vedas, Bhagavad Gita, Ramayana should be restored and for that, its surveys should be done," Upadhyay said.
