Prayagraj, July 3 -- The Allahabad High Court on Thursday, July 2, held that the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991, protects the religious character of places of worship but does not bar the state from acquiring such properties for a genuine public purpose, such as road widening or infrastructure development.

A division bench of Justice JJ Munir and Justice Arun Kumar made the observation while dismissing a petition filed by six Muslim shopkeepers from Varanasi's Dalmandi area, who had challenged a proposed road widening project linked to the Kashi Vishwanath Corridor.

Mosques predate 1947

The petitioners had contended that the project would lead to the demolition of their shops, which they said were their only source of...