PRAYAGRAJ: The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Prayagraj, has asked the district magistrate to ensure a ban on the use of loudspeakers in mosques and shrines between 10pm and 6am.
The instruction comes days after Allahabad University vice-chancellor Prof Sangita Srivatasva’s letter to Prayagraj district magistrate Bhanu Chandra Goswami regarding the high volume of loudspeakers during ‘Azaan’ at a mosque near her home causing great inconvenience to her.
According to Indian media, the ban will cover the use of all loudspeakers and public address systems at public places. The IG Prayagraj said a letter had been forwarded to the district magistrates and SSPs/ SPs of the four districts to strictly implement the instructions of Allahabad High Court delivered on May 15, 2020, regarding playing of loudspeakers and public address systems which caused inconvenience to others.
The letter directs the district magistrates and police chiefs to implement a ban on the use of loudspeakers between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. in accordance with environmental laws and past court orders.
“The high court has given clear instructions that Azaan is a religious practice, but use of loudspeakers for giving azaan is not a fundamental right. Under the Pollution Act [Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules, 2000], use of loudspeakers and public address systems at public places is restricted during the nighttime,” the IG wrote.
Allahabad University (AU) vice-chancellor Prof Sangita Srivastava, through a letter dated March 3, had urged senior administrative and police officials of Prayagraj to get azaan through loudspeakers stopped.
Prof. Sangita Srivastava stated that she is ‘forced to wake up too early every day’ due to ‘azaan’ being recited on a loudspeaker. This, she stated, leads to headaches throughout the day and impacts her work.
In January 2020, the Allahabad High Court had ruled that no religion advocates use of loudspeakers for worship. The petitioner had challenged an administrative order in the Jaunpur district of Uttar Pradesh where the use of loudspeakers for azaan had been banned.
