Police maintain that the loudspeaker use was particularly disruptive to the ongoing board examinations for classes 10 and 12.
Team Clarion
NEW DELHI — The Uttar Pradesh police have registered a case against the muezzin (person calling for prayers) of a mosque in the Jahanabad area of Pilibhit for allegedly violating loudspeaker regulations.
SHO of Jahanabad police station Manoj Kumar Mishra said the FIR has been filed by Sub-Inspector Varun. It claimed that on March 1 afternoon, a loudspeaker was used at high volume during ‘namaaz’ at a mosque in Kazitola.
The muezzin, Maulvi Ashfaq, was informed on February 25 about the loudspeaker restrictions, which require prior permission for its use. Despite this, he allegedly used a loudspeaker during the azaan on February 28 without proper authorisation. When questioned, the cleric failed to provide any documentation permitting the use of the loudspeaker.
As a result, the case was filed against him under Sections 223 (disobedience to public servant’s order), 270 (public nuisance), and 293 (continuing nuisance after injunction) of the BNS (Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita). SHO Mishra explained that the loudspeaker use was particularly disruptive to the ongoing board examinations for classes 10 and 12, as it affected students who were attempting to concentrate and those with serious health conditions.
In a separate incident, three individuals were booked for installing loudspeakers at religious locations in violation of government and Pollution Control Board regulations aimed at controlling noise pollution. In Tiyori village, two loudspeakers were set up at religious places without the necessary approvals, further aggravating concerns about noise levels in the area, media reports reaching here said on Monday.
The issue of loudspeakers at religious sites has been a subject of judicial scrutiny. Earlier, the Allahabad High Court observed that religious places are primarily intended for prayer and devotion, and that the use of loudspeakers cannot be claimed as an inherent right.
The court noted that loudspeakers often create a nuisance for local residents. Similarly, the Bombay High Court recently called for more stringent measures against loudspeaker use, recognising that they are non-essential to religious practices and often cause disturbances in residential areas.
In May 2022, the Allahabad High Court ruled that the use of loudspeakers for azaan is not a fundamental right, dismissing a petition from Irfan, a resident of Uttar Pradesh’s Badaun district. Irfan had sought to overturn a sub-divisional magistrate’s decision that denied his request to use a loudspeaker for the azaan.
These rulings highlight the growing concerns over noise pollution and the need for regulated use of loudspeakers, even in religious contexts. — With inputs from Agencies
