Mumbai: The Mumbai Police have registered cases against the imams (religious priests) of two mosques for allegedly flouting noise pollution rules. Official have also said that several more mosques are under a scanner.
The two mosques that have cases against them for playing the pre-dawn "Azan' on loudspeakers are the Noorani Masjid, Bandra west and Muslim Kabrastan Masjid in Santacruz. They will face action under the Maharashtra Police Act and Indian Penal Code Section 188, and other laws for playing loudspeakers before 6 a.m.
IANS has reported that the police have also booked the Imams of the two mosques -- Anwar A. M. Shabbir Shah and Arif M Siddiqui, respectively, and the Managing Trustee of the Santacruz mosque M. Shoaib A. Sattar Shaikh -- for allegedly permitting the relay of the 'azan' before the Supreme Court's stipulated deadline of 6 a.m.
Of the estimated 1,140 mosques in Mumbai, more than 90 per cent have either removed or muted their loudspeakers to use them within the permissible 45 decibel levels, but switching off between 10 p.m.-6 a.m.
An official from the Additional Commissioner of Police said that certain other mosques are on the police scanner and all others are being closely monitored to ensure they strictly adhere to the guidelines, with one case from Kandivali being probed for reported violations.
Besides, the local police are also in regular touch with various mosques managements in their jurisdiction and counsel them to follow the SC guidelines and noise pollution laws for public good with a vast majority already complying and others in the process of compliance.
The development came a week after the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena President Raj Thackeray launched a statewide anti-loudspeakers campaign and threatened to play Hanuman Chalisa at double volumes outside mosques that do not remove their public address systems.
However, the agitation has also affected the religious operations at other places of worship like temples, churches, gurudwaras, Buddhist Chaityas, Jain Derasars, etc., with protests from some quarters in different parts of the state.