What is the significance of the Places of Worship Act in India
The salience of the Places of Worship Act and the Gyanvapi precedent
- The Places of Worship Act, passed in 1991, aims to maintain the religious harmony and secular fabric of India by freezing the religious character of any place of worship as it was on August 15, 1947.
- It prohibits the conversion of any place of worship and prevents disputes arising over past religious structures and sites.
- The Act also plays a crucial role in protecting the sanctity of historical religious places and avoids communal tensions by preventing demands for reclaiming religious sites.
- With the recent Gyanvapi Mosque-Kashi Vishwanath Temple case serving as a precedent, the Places of Worship Act underscores the importance of maintaining the status quo of religious places to uphold peace and unity in the country.
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