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It is not a religious right to offer namaz anywhere ! : Bombay High Court

Court denies permission for offering namaz near Mumbai International Airport !

Mumbai – The Bombay High Court has refused to allow prayers in the vicinity the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport. The court said that there can be no compromise on security and ‘offering namaz anywhere’ cannot be considered as a religious right.

A division bench of Justices B.P. Colabawala and Firdous Pooniwala was hearing a petition filed by taxi and rickshaw drivers who were offering namaz in a makeshift shed near the airport. But it was removed by the authorities last year. Therefore, the drivers had sought permission to offer prayers at the same place or at any other place in the vicinity through a petition. The court dismissed the petition.

1. The High Court had asked the police and airport authorities to inquire whether alternative accommodation could be provided to the petitioners for offering prayers; But officials said that 7 sites were surveyed but no suitable site was found due to crowding, security and airport development plans.

2. After perusing the report submitted by the authorities, the High Court said that  it is not possible to assign any place for prayers in the vicinity of the airport.

3. Be it religion or anything else; but security is a foremost priority and people of all religions travel through the airport, so there can be no compromise on security,  the high court said.

4. “The petitioners cannot decide on their own the place where the prayers should be offered. If someone asks for prayers in a public place, it cannot be accepted. Therefore, another place should be found for the prayers. There is a madrasa at a distance of about one kilometre from the  area where prayers can be offered”, the Court said.

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