Source: IE
Context: The Shahi Jama Masjid in Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh, faces disputes over claims it was built on a Hindu temple site, raising protests and invoking the Places of Worship Act, 1991.
About Places of Worship Act, 1991:
- Objective: Prohibits the conversion of a place of worship and ensures its religious character as on August 15, 1947.
- Key Provisions:
- Section 3: Bars conversion of a place of worship, either wholly or partly, to a different denomination or segment.
- Maintains the religious status quo of all places of worship as of Independence Day, 1947.
- Prohibits legal suits or claims to alter the status of any place of worship.
- Exemptions:
- Ayodhya dispute: Excluded as the case was sub-judice at the time.
- Ancient monuments: Covered under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958.
- Disputes resolved by mutual consent or settled before the law’s enforcement.
- Significance: Aims to maintain communal harmony by preventing religious conflicts over historical claims.
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