Owaisi urges PM Modi to stand with Places of Worship Act

New Delhi: The All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) Chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Tuesday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to defend the Places of Worship (PoW) Act 1991. His statement comes after the Supreme Court stayed Allahabad High Court's order to appoint a commission for the Shahi Edgah mosque, Asian News International reported.

Owaisi said that once the PM states that he is standing with the PoW, there will be no more issues. Once the PM states that all the places of worship will belong to those under whose authority they were as of August 15, 1947, there will be no more issues, he said and wondered why the PM is not saying that.

The PoW Act prohibits conversion of any place of worship and provides the maintenance of the religious character of any place of worship as it existed on August 15, 1947, ANI reports.

Owaisi said that the matter went to the Supreme Court, and the court gave a verdict, through which it did the right thing. In the Babri Masjid dispute, the top court ruled that the Places of Worship Act comes from the basic structure of the Constitution, he said. He asked when there is a Supreme Court ruling, why the government do not agree with it.

Staying the Allahabad HC's order in the Shahi Idgah Masjid dispute, the SC allowed the trial court to continue proceedings but stated that the appointment of a commission cannot be executed until the next hearings. The court observed that the HC acted on a vague application which sought omnibus directions.

The top court listed the case for futher hearing on January 23.