Thu Jan 16 11:45:12 UTC 2025: **Congress Supports 1991 Places of Worship Act, Calls for Strict Enforcement**

NEW DELHI – The Indian National Congress party has intervened in the Supreme Court’s ongoing hearing on the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991, filing a petition that calls for the strict enforcement of the law. The petition, filed by senior Congress leader KC Venugopal, aligns the party with other opposition groups, including the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), who have also sought the court’s intervention.

The 1991 Act prohibits altering the religious character of any place of worship as it existed on August 15, 1947. The Congress argues that the law is crucial for preserving India’s secular fabric and that attempts to challenge it are malicious and motivated by a desire to undermine secular principles. The party highlighted that the Act was passed by the then-Congress government in response to rising religious intolerance.

The Supreme Court is currently hearing several petitions challenging aspects of the 1991 Act, including a lead petition filed by lawyer Ashwini Upadhyay which seeks to overturn key provisions. In December 2023, the court temporarily halted all ongoing surveys of places of worship, including those at the Gyanvapi mosque in Varanasi, the Shahi Idgah Masjid in Mathura, and a mosque in Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh, that had been ordered by lower courts. These surveys were prompted by Hindu petitioners claiming the sites were originally Hindu temples. The court’s decision to halt the surveys came pending a response from the government, expected to be submitted within four weeks. The Supreme Court will further hear the petitions on February 17.

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