SC bars Agra nonresidents from namaz at Taj Mahal

  • | Monday | 9th July, 2018

The court, however, dismissed his plea, blocking his option to approach Allahabad HC.Zaidi told TOI that an appeal would soon be filed against the SC order. “Why should any kind of restriction be imposed at religious places?”“If only local residents are allowed to enter religious places, then all houses of worship will be deserted,” said Syed Munawwar Ali, member of the committee. NEW DELHI: Only residents of Agra will be allowed to offer Friday prayers at the Mumtazi Masjid inside the Taj Mahal complex, with Supreme Court on Monday refusing to open the door of the protected monument for outsiders saying that Taj, which was already facing threat due to pollution, had to be protected at any cost.“This (Taj Mahal) is one of the seven wonders of the world and we do not want this to decimate,” a bench of justices A K Sikri and Ashok Bhushan said while dismissing a plea for allowing outsiders to offer prayers at the mosque.The court passed the order on a petition filed by Syed Ibrahim Hussain Zaidi challenging Agra's additional district magistrate’s decision barring non-residents of Agra from offering prayers inside the Taj premises on the ground of security. Zaidi, who is president of the Taj Mahal Masjid Management Committee said that there should not be any discrimination in the matter and anyone, irrespective of their place of residence, should be permitted to go inside the mosque and offer prayers.“The administrative action by way of impugned order dated January 24, 2018 of the respondent making illegal and arbitrary classification between the residents and non-residents on the question of security of the monument is not based on any intelligible or rational principles,” the petition said, seeking the striking down of the ADM’s order.The petitioner contended that proper security arrangements should be put in place inside Taj Mahal instead of barring outsiders from entering the mosque.As the bench was not in favour of granting relief, the petitioner pleaded the court to allow him to withdraw the petition and allow it to approach High Court.

NEW DELHI: Only residents of Agra will be allowed to offer Friday prayers at the Mumtazi Masjid inside the Taj Mahal complex, with Supreme Court on Monday refusing to open the door of the protected monument for outsiders saying that Taj, which was already facing threat due to pollution, had to be protected at any cost.“This (Taj Mahal) is one of the seven wonders of the world and we do not want this to decimate,” a bench of justices A K Sikri and Ashok Bhushan said while dismissing a plea for allowing outsiders to offer prayers at the mosque.The court passed the order on a petition filed by Syed Ibrahim Hussain Zaidi challenging Agra's additional district magistrate’s decision barring non-residents of Agra from offering prayers inside the Taj premises on the ground of security. Zaidi, who is president of the Taj Mahal Masjid Management Committee said that there should not be any discrimination in the matter and anyone, irrespective of their place of residence, should be permitted to go inside the mosque and offer prayers.“The administrative action by way of impugned order dated January 24, 2018 of the respondent making illegal and arbitrary classification between the residents and non-residents on the question of security of the monument is not based on any intelligible or rational principles,” the petition said, seeking the striking down of the ADM’s order.The petitioner contended that proper security arrangements should be put in place inside Taj Mahal instead of barring outsiders from entering the mosque.As the bench was not in favour of granting relief, the petitioner pleaded the court to allow him to withdraw the petition and allow it to approach High Court. The court, however, dismissed his plea, blocking his option to approach Allahabad HC.Zaidi told TOI that an appeal would soon be filed against the SC order. “Why should any kind of restriction be imposed at religious places?”“If only local residents are allowed to enter religious places, then all houses of worship will be deserted,” said Syed Munawwar Ali, member of the committee.

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