The Indian National Congress has moved the Supreme Court to oppose the petitions challenging provisions of the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991..Congress has moved an intervention application in the Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by BJP leader and lawyer Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay, against the constitutional validity of the Act.The Act is essential to safeguard secularism in India and the challenge against it appears to be a motivated and malicious attempt to undermine established principles of secularism, the application states."The Applicant seeks to intervene in this matter to emphasize the constitutional and societal significance of the POWA, as it apprehends that any alterations to it could jeopardize India's communal harmony and secular fabric thereby threatening the sovereignty and integrity of the nation," the political party said in the application..Congress further said that it stands committed to the principles of secularism and was instrumental in enacting the law when the party along with the Janata Dal party were in the majority in the Lok Sabha."Since the Applicant, through its elected members were responsible for the introduction and passage of the POWA, the applicant may be allowed to intervene and defend the legal validity of the passage of the POWA.".Stating that the Places of Worship Act is essential for communal harmony and cordial relations amongst all communities in the country, Congress has alleged that Upadhyay's plea has been filed with oblique and questionable motives."The present petition also erroneously states that the POWA is discriminatory as it is applicable only towards members of the Hindu, Sikh, Jain and Buddhist communities. A bare perusal of the POWA shows that it promotes equality amongst all religious groups and does not accord special treatment towards specific communities as alleged by the Petitioner. It is equally applicable towards places of worship of all religious groups and ascertains and affixes their nature as on 15.08.1947," the application contends.The party apprehends that any alterations to the Act could jeopardise India's communal harmony and secular fabric, and may threaten the sovereignty and integrity of the nation..The Jamiat Ulama-I-Hind had also earlier approached the Supreme Court seeking to be added as a party Upadhyay's plea.All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM) head Asaduddin Owaisi has also moved the Supreme Court to seek implementation of the Act.In December 2024, the top court directed trial courts to refrain from issuing any substantive orders or conducting surveys of existing religious structures in cases challenging their religious character, pending the outcome of the challenge to the Act.
