Challenge To Places Of Worship Act : Supreme Court Refuses To Entertain New Petitions, Allows Intervention In Pending PIL

Appearing before a Bench comprising Justices D.Y. Chandrachud and J.B. Pardiwala, on behalf of one of the petitioners, Senior Advocate, Mr. Rakesh Dwivedi requested that the present petitions be tagged with the matters involving similar challenges, pending before the Apex Court. Considering that, if the petitions are admitted and tagged, it would open floodgates for others to approach the Court with similar challenges, the Bench thought it would be appropriate that the petitioners herein intervene in the pending matters.

Senior Advocate Mr. Vijay Hansaria, appearing for another petitioner, apprised the Bench that the present batch of petitions have raised some additional issues and therefore have to be heard at length independently. He apprised the Bench that the intervenors are not permitted to argue and the same would act as a serious impediment for them. In view thereof, the Bench recorded in the order that the petitioners will be able to supplement the grounds of challenge in the pending petitions by way of their intervention application.

One of the pending petitions, which raises similar issues, was filed by lawyer Ashwini Upadhyay. In March 2021, the Apex Court issued notice in the said PIL challenging the Constitutional validity of the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991.  

Senior. Advocates Vijay Hansaria, C S Vaidyanathan, Gaurav Bhatia also appeared for parties.