MUMBAI: “Mumbai has become free of loudspeakers on religious structures,” police commissioner Deven Bharti said on Saturday.
While not naming any community, the police claimed that meetings and negotiations helped them convince community and political leaders, and the trustees of religious bodies, to remove loudspeakers from more than 1,500 structures, making the city “loudspeaker-free”.
They claimed the action was not aimed at any particular community and was in line with chief minister Devendra Fadnavis’s directive in March, saying that the guidelines of the centre and court must be strictly followed.
The police clarified, however, that religious structures can have loudspeakers installed “temporarily”, during festivals, after taking permission from local police stations.
Bharti’s sweeping statement follows an order of the Bombay High Court in January, in which the police were directed to take prompt action against loudspeakers and public address systems violating noise pollution rules. A bench of Justice A S Gadkari and A C Chandak had said that loudspeakers are not integral to any religion, highlighting the health risks posed by noise pollution. It observed that denying permission for loudspeakers does not infringe anyone’s rights.
The bench was hearing a petition filed by two housing societies in Kurla, which had raised concerns over the noise pollution caused by loudspeakers at local mosques. They argued that the use of loudspeakers for religious activities, including the Islamic call to prayer (azaan), disrupts the peace and infringes the Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules, 2000, and the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.
However, the Muslim community has complained that the police have not been following due process while taking down loudspeakers at masjids. Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar met Muslim leaders and senior police officials, instructing the law enforcers to refrain from “unlawful” actions. Pawar also urged BJP leader Kirit Somaiya to end his “loudspeaker-free Mumbai campaign”.
About The Author
