India, July 4 -- The Allahabad High Court has observed 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 it does not bar the state from acquiring such properties for secular and public purposes.

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