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Ajit Pawar Orders Impartial Enforcement After Mumbai Police Remove Over 1,500 Mosque Loudspeakers

Deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar urged police to enforce court-mandated noise limits impartially following mosque bodies' legal challenge

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Ajit Pawar (Hindustan Times)
On Monday, five Muslim institutions moved court against the manner in which the police have been removing loudspeakers. (Photo by ANI)

Overview

  • Police have removed more than 1,500 loudspeakers from mosques and other religious sites since a May 11 circular implemented the Bombay High Court’s noise pollution limits
  • Deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar chaired a June 25 meeting with Muslim leaders and senior police officials, directing officers to apply the 45-55 decibel rules impartially without wrongful seizures
  • Five Muslim institutions have filed a writ petition in the Bombay High Court challenging the removal process as arbitrary and in violation of fundamental rights
  • Muslim representatives say BJP leader Kirit Somaiya pressured police to target mosques, while Somaiya maintains his campaign has led over 600 mosques to apply for speaker permissions
  • Mosque committees have requested a streamlined, single-window online system for loudspeaker permissions, a proposal that police commissioner Deven Bharti has agreed to review