A PIL has been filed in the Jharkhand High Court seeking a prohibition on the use of loudspeakers for Azaan.
In the PIL filed by BJP leader Anuranjan Ashok, it has been said that even before 1932, the azaan in the mosque did not use loudspeakers. The PIL states that offering Azaan by loudspeaker has nothing to do with religion. Therefore, the sound offered by the loudspeaker should be stopped immediately, so that noise pollution can be curbed.
The petitioner has stated that Azaan is offered five times a day. According to the rule, the sound of a loudspeaker should not be more than ten decibels, but this rule is being ignored during Azaan. The Petitioner has also urged the court to prohibit the offering of namaz on the land around the mosque and on government land.
The petitioner further said though the Supreme Court has already passed an order in 2005 that loudspeakers should not be used in the mosques, they continue to be used.
The petitioner had written to the Jharkhand government on the issue in November last year but since no action was taken, therefore the Petitioner has approached the High Court, the PIL states.
In March 2021, the Vice Chancellor of Allahabad University, Prof. Sangeeta Srivastava, had also lodged her complaint with the DM with regard to Azaan. She said in her objection that the sound of the Azaan coming from a mosque close to her house does not let her sleep properly. She had also cited an order of the Allahabad High Court to the DM.
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It is pertinent to note that in 2017, the Allahabad High Court had stated in its order that Azaan can be an essential and integral part of Islam, but reciting it through a loudspeaker or any other sound-enhancing device cannot be said to be an essential part of the religion. Therefore under any circumstances, the use of loudspeakers between 10 am and 6 am cannot be allowed.