High court questions Bengal BJP government's mosque loudspeaker ban

Kolkata: The Calcutta High Court on Thursday questioned the BJP-led West Bengal government over allegations that police had directed mosques across the state to remove loudspeakers without issuing written orders or first establishing violations of permissible noise levels.

A division bench of Acting Chief Justice Tapabrata Chakraborty and Justice Atarup Banerjee sought the State government's position after a PIL alleged that police had issued blanket verbal instructions to religious institutions, including mosques and temples. The plea alleged that mosque committees were being pressured to remove loudspeakers without any formal legal order.

The controversy intensified after several mosque committees reportedly alleged that police officials had summoned representatives and verbally instructed them to take down loudspeakers. Trinamool Congress MP and senior advocate Kalyan Banerjee, appearing for petitioner Danish Farooqui, alleged that around 4,000 mosques had faced such pressure.

The petitioner argued that loudspeakers could be used subject to legally prescribed noise limits and maintained that a blanket restriction would interfere with religious rights protected under Article 25 of the Constitution.

The BJP-led State government, however, challenged the petition's basis, arguing that it did not identify a single mosque where loudspeakers had actually been removed. Advocate AG Mitra also questioned the absence of any imam coming forward to substantiate the allegations.

The court pressed the government to clarify whether police had in fact issued such directions. The state sought time until Tuesday to obtain instructions from the concerned authorities.

The court also declined to grant an interim order preventing the removal of loudspeakers, including a request limited to the Hooghly district, and adjourned the matter.