Supreme Court directs Centre to file reply on pleas against Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act by December 12

The Supreme Court on Monday gave the Central government time till December 12 to file reply on petitions challenging the constitutional validity of the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991.

Appearing for the Union of India, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta contended before the Apex Court that the Government needed more time to have detailed consultation with higher echelons of the government regarding the matter.

The Bench of Chief Justice of India (CJI) D.Y. Chandrachud and Justice J.B. Pardiwala then listed the matter for hearing in the first week of January next year, before a three-Judge Bench.

BJP leader and former MP Dr Subramanian Swamy told the bench that he was not seeking to set aside the Act through his petition, but only wanted addition of two more temples at Kashi and Mathura and said that the Act can then remain as it is.

The pleas challenged the Places of Worship Act on the grounds that it took away the rights of Hindus, Jains, Buddhists and Sikhs to restore their places of worship and pilgrimages, which were destroyed by the invaders.

Petitions have been filed in the Supreme Court by daughter of the Kashi Royal Family Maharaja Kumari Krishna Priya, former Member of Parliament Chintamani Malviya, Advocate and BJP leader Ashwini Upadhyay, retired Army officer Anil Kabotra, Advocate Chandra Shekhar, Varanasi resident Rudra Vikram Singh, religious leader Swami Jeetendranand Saraswati, Mathura resident Devkinandan Thakur Ji and a religious guru, among others, against the 1991 Act.

Earlier on March 12 this year, the Apex Court had issued notice to the Centre on two separate petitions challenging the Act.