Sun Dec 01 01:29:45 UTC 2024: ## Congress Reasserts Commitment to Places of Worship Act Amidst Recent Controversies

**New Delhi, December 1, 2024** – The Indian National Congress has reiterated its unwavering commitment to the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991, amidst escalating controversies surrounding religious sites. This renewed pledge follows recent events including violent protests at a mosque in Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh, and a court order in Ajmer, Rajasthan, concerning the Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti shrine.

The Congress party’s stance was solidified in a resolution passed by the Congress Working Committee (CWC) on Friday. The resolution highlights the BJP’s alleged brazen violation of the Act. This comes after four lives were lost in the Sambhal protests against a court-ordered survey of a Mughal-era mosque and a court issued notices to various parties regarding the Ajmer shrine, seeking to potentially declare it a temple.

The Act, passed in 1991, aims to maintain the religious character of places of worship as they existed on August 15, 1947. However, recent judicial interpretations, including oral observations made by the then Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud in 2022, have sparked renewed debate and concern. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh highlighted a 1991 Rajya Sabha speech by Rajmohan Gandhi, arguing against attempts to rewrite history through revenge, drawing parallels to the Mahabharata’s message against such actions. Ramesh cited these observations as having opened a “Pandora’s Box”.

The Supreme Court’s 2019 Ayodhya verdict acknowledged the Act but noted that section 3 didn’t explicitly prohibit determining a place of worship’s religious character. This interpretation, coupled with the recent controversies, has prompted the Congress to publicly reaffirm its adherence to the Act’s letter and spirit.

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