Kolkata, Oct. 7 -- The Calcutta High Court will hear by October 10 a plea seeking permission for Friday prayers at the 136-year-old Bankra Masjid inside the Kolkata airport complex, with the state, Airport Authority of India (AAI) and CISF opposing any interim arrangement.
Justice Krishna Rao is considering whether worshippers should be permitted to offer namaz at the mosque while the main petition challenging the AAI's decision restricting prayers remains pending.
The state argued that the constitutional right to practise religion does not confer an unrestricted right to use every public space for religious activities. It also questioned the maintainability of the committee's petition and placed security concerns at the centre of its opposition.
For the CISF, Additional Solicitor General Dhiraj Kumar Trivedi told the court that access to the mosque involves movement through the airport's runway area. He also raised concerns over the proposed system of allowing worshippers based on identification or certification by a maulvi, pointing out that the person performing that role could change.
Additional Advocate General Bilwadal Bhattacharya argued that the Places of Worship Act could not be invoked in the circumstances of the case, as the land on which the mosque stands has been acquired. He too emphasised aviation and national security concerns.
Senior advocate S N Mookherjee, appearing for the AAI, opposed interim relief, saying the dispute involved questions of maintainability and aviation security. He also pointed to the delay between the July 11 restriction and the committee approaching the court on August 27.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.