An application for withdrawal of public interest litigation (PIL) moved before the Gujarat High Court seeking a ban on loudspeakers in mosques across the state owing to their high volume was filed on Thursday.
While the matter was listed for hearing before the division bench of Chief Justice Aravind Kumar and Justice AJ Shastri. Surprisingly, in the middle of this process, the advocate for the petitioner informed the bench during the priority mention of matters listed before the court that the petitioner wishes to withdraw the PIL. To this effect, the court instructed the petitioner to submit a withdrawal pursis in the matter.
The PIL filed by Dharmendra Prajapati, a Gandhinagar-based doctor said that in Sector 5C where he resides, “persons of the Muslim community were coming for prayer at different times and they use loudspeakers that cause great inconvenience and disturbance to nearby residents”.
Prajapati also cited an Allahabad High Court decision rejecting a request by muezzins (those who call for prayers each day) to use amplifying devices in the Ghazipur district. Additionally, his petition also stated that the use of loudspeakers for prayer calls encroaches upon the fundamental rights of the petitioner and sought the court’s directions to the appropriate authority to ban it all over Gujarat.
A division bench issued a notice to the respondent state authorities on February 15 to respond by March 10. The state authorities have not yet responded to the petition.
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