UP mosque cleric booked for using loudspeaker without permit

A case was registered against a mosque cleric in Jahanabad on Sunday, March 2, for allegedly violating loudspeaker restrictions.

The station house officer (SHO) Manoj Kumar Mishra stated that sub-inspector Varun filed the FIR, citing that a loudspeaker was used at high volume during namaaz at a Kazitola mosque on March 1 afternoon.

Maulvi Ashfaq was reportedly informed of the restrictions on February 25, which mandate prior permission for loudspeaker use. Despite this, he allegedly used a loudspeaker during azaan on February 28 as well, failing to produce any authorization when questioned.

A case has been filed against him under sections 223 (disobedience to public servant’s order), 270 (public nuisance), and 293 (continuing nuisance after injunction) of the BNS.

SHO noted that ongoing Board examinations for classes 10 and 12 were being disrupted by the loudspeaker, causing inconvenience to students and seriously ill individuals.

In a similar incident, three persons were booked for allegedly installing loudspeakers at religious places against the norms here, police said.

According to police, two loudspeakers were installed at these religious places in Tiyori village against the norms set by the government and the Pollution Control Board to control noise pollution.

Earlier, the Allahabad High Court observed that religious places are primarily meant for prayer and devotion and the use of loudspeakers cannot be claimed as a right especially when it often creates nuisance to residents.

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Similarly, the Bombay High Court recently called for strict measures against loudspeakers, deeming them non-essential to religious practices.

In May 2022, the Allahabad High Court ruled that the use of loudspeakers for Azaan is not protected as a fundamental right, dismissing a petition by Irfan, a resident of Uttar Pradesh’s Badaun district, who sought to overturn a sub-divisional magistrate’s decision rejecting his request for loudspeaker use.

(With inputs from PTI)

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