Ahmedabad: The Gujarat High Court today dismissed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) against the use of loudspeakers (public address system) for azaan in mosques. A division bench of Chief Justice Sunita Agarwal and Justice Aniruddha P Mayee asked a petitioner to approach the authorities if they are not acting against use of public address system during 10 pm to 6 am hours. “Go to the authority, who stops you,” the Chief Justice told the petitioner when the latter pointed out that the public address system can be used only in closed premises during 10 pm to 6 am night hours.

The Chief Justice told a petitioner that azaan goes on only for five to ten minutes and puja, bhajan, DJ also make noise. She asked a petitioner, ‘in your temples, the morning aarti music starts early in the morning, doesn’t it cause any noise to anyone? Can you say that the noise of that bell remains in temple premises only? Doesn’t it percolate outside?’

The petition was filed by a Gandhinagar based doctor. When a petitioner mentioned Allahabad High Court judgement on use of loudspeakers for azaan in mosques, the Chief Justice of Gujarat High Court said ‘Allahabad High Court judgement is not binding to us’.

On the issue of noise pollution, the Chief Justice asked the petitioner to present a scientific record of how many decibel noise goes with azaan. ‘In ten minutes of azaan, how many decibels of noise and pollution goes up? It needs to be put scientifically before the court,’ the Chief Justice told a petitioner

The Chief Justice considered a petition as wholly misconceived and rejected it. DeshGujarat

(The case reported here starts at around 5.00.00 hours mark in the video attached above)