The Supreme Court on Thursday put a temporary hold on all surveys of places of worship as it began examining petitions challenging certain provisions of the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991. The court directed lower courts not to admit or issue any orders regarding surveys of mosques or other places of worship until further notice.
“No order of survey or any other effective order to be passed in existing suits as well,” the bench led by Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna, along with Justices PV Sanjay Kumar and KV Vishwanathan, declared during the hearing.
The Places of Worship Act mandates the maintenance of the religious character of all places of worship as they existed on August 15, 1947, and prohibits their conversion. However, petitions have been filed challenging the Act, claiming it infringes upon the rights of Hindus, Jains, Buddhists, and Sikhs to restore their historic places of worship and pilgrimages allegedly destroyed in the past.
Chief Justice Khanna noted, “We are examining the vires, contours, and ambit of the 1991 law on places of worship.”
The apex court also directed the Central government to submit its response to the petitions within four weeks. Additional parties were given another four weeks to file rejoinders after the Centre’s submission.
This judicial intervention comes amid rising legal and political debates surrounding the Act’s provisions and their implications for India’s multi-religious landscape. The court’s decision to pause survey-related orders ensures a status quo while the constitutional validity of the law is being reviewed.