India, July 4 -- PRAYAGRAJ While ruling that the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991, prohibits only the 'conversion' of the religious character of a place of worship from one religious denomination to another but does not bar the state from acquiring such properties for secular and public purposes, the Allahabad high court dismissed a writ petition seeking to halt the widening and beautification of the Dalmandi area in Varanasi, a project undertaken as a part of the Uttar Pradesh government's Shri Kashi Vishwanath Dham corridor development.

The six petitioners, who are tenants and shopkeepers operating in the Dalmandi area, had moved the high court seeking a writ of mandamus to prevent their dispossession from the area. The...