Prayagraj:
The Allahabad High Court on Friday dismissed a PIL while ruling that delivering the azaan on loudspeakers is not a fundamental right.
“The law has now been settled that use of loudspeaker from mosque is not a fundamental right. Ever otherwise a cogent reason has been assigned in the impugned order. Accordingly, we find that the present petition is patently misconceived, hence the same is dismissed,” said the court.
The PIL was filed by the petitioner named Irfan who belongs from Budaun district of Uttar Pradesh. The petitioner sought the permission from the Delhi High Court to play Azaan using loudspeakers in the Noori Masjid.
The court further said that although azaan is an integral part of Islam, it stated that delivering it through loudspeakers is not a part of the religion.
“Azaan is an integral part of Islam, but giving it through loudspeakers is not a part of Islam,” a bench headed by Justice BK Vidla and Justice Vikas said.
Ruling on the petition, a two-judge bench of the Allahabad High Court had noted that there have been previous instances where courts have ruled that the call for prayer on a loudspeaker is not a fundamental right.
Azaan is the Islamic call to prayers which is given five times at prescribed times of the day. A muezzin is a person who proclaims the call to the daily prayer five times a day at a mosque.
However, the debate over loudspeakers has currently gripped over several parts of the nation. In the latest, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray on May 1 had held a rally in Aurangabad where he urged the people from Hindu community to play Hanuman Chalisa with double volume in the areas where they find azan (Muslim prayer) being played on the loudspeakers.
(With inputs from ANI)
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