'Shut down all religious places running illegally, we are exhausted...': High Court to Kerala

Kochi: The Kerala High Court on Friday ordered the closing down of religious places constructed illegally in the state. The HC observed that the number of places of worship is almost 3.5 times more than the number of hospitals in the coastal state. 

Justice P V Kunhikrishnan dismissed a plea filed by a Society called Noorul Islam Samskarika Sangam seeking to convert a commercial building at Amarambalam Grama Panchayat into a Muslim place of worship in a village near Nilambur in the Malappuram district. The court observed that the Society sought to change the commercial building into a Muslim place of worship at a place where there are about 36 mosques within a 5-km radius of this building and "then why another prayer hall for the petitioner is a million dollar question." The petitioner moved the court after the district collector rejected its demand.

"These verses of the Holy Quran highlight the importance of mosques to the Muslim community. But, it is not stated in those verses that Mosque is necessary for every nook and corner," the Court said quoting the verses (Juz 1 Surah 114) mentioned by the council.

Justice P V Kunhikrishnan held that Kerala is crammed full of religious places. "Because of the peculiar geographical location of Kerala, it is known as God's own country. But we are exhausted with religious places and prayer halls and we are not in a position to allow any new religious places and prayer halls except in the rarest of rare cases," the judge said in his order.

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"The Chief Secretary of State of Kerala and the State police chief shall issue necessary orders/circulars directing all the officers concerned to see that there is no illegal functioning of any religious places and prayer halls without obtaining permission from the competent authorities as per the Manual of Guidelines and if any such religious place or prayer hall is functioning without necessary permission, take necessary steps to close down the same forthwith", the order said.

Also, the court directed the government to issue a separate circular/order prohibiting change of category of a building to a religious place/prayer hall except in inevitable circumstances and the rarest of rare cases, and that also only after getting a report from the police and the Intelligence ascertaining the ground realities of that particular place.

(With PTI inputs)