The Gujarat High Court on dismissed a Public Interest Litigation seeking a ban on the use of loudspeakers for azaan or the Islamic call to prayer at mosques, terming the plea as “wholly misconceived.” A division bench of Chief Justice Sunita Agarwal and Justice Aniruddha P Mayee also asked, during the hearing, if it was the petitioner’s case that the noise of bells and gongs during `aarti’ at a temple is not heard outside.
The petition, filed by Bajrang Dal leader Shaktisinh Zala, claimed that “noise pollution” caused by azan when played through loudspeakers affects people’s, especially children’s health and causes inconvenience otherwise.
But the high court noted that the claims in the petition had no scientific foundation.