Allahabad HC Rejects Sambhal Prayer Limit for Ramzan

The Allahabad High Court on February 27 rejected a Uttar Pradesh administration order that limited the number of worshippers allowed to offer namaz at a site claimed to be a mosque in Sambhal district during the Islamic holy month of Ramzan, ruling that such restrictions undermine the state's duty to protect religious freedoms.

A division bench comprising Justices Atul Sreedharan and Siddharth Nandan made the observations while hearing a petition filed by Munazir Khan, a resident of Sambhal. Khan alleged that local authorities had prevented him from conducting prayers at Gata No. 291, a plot he described as housing a mosque. The administration had permitted only 20 individuals to gather there, citing concerns over potential law and order issues amid expectations of larger crowds during Ramzan.

The court dismissed the state's justification, emphasizing that it is the responsibility of the government to ensure every religious community can worship peacefully at designated places or on private property without prior permission. "It is the duty of the State to ensure that the rule of law prevails under every circumstance," the bench stated in its order. The judges clarified that...