The State Of Karnataka Has Received Notice From Karnataka High Court In Response To Petition For The Confiscation Of Unlicensed Loudspeakers
Update: 2021-10-06 15:15 IST
Noise pollution in religious places Karnataka High Court notice to State on plea for seizure of illegal loudspeakers
On Tuesday, the Karnataka High Court ordered the state government to reply to a petition seeking the possession and confiscation of loudspeakers, amplifiers, and other equipment used in religious buildings in contravention of the Noise Pollution Act. The plea was submitted as part of a group of interlocutory applications aiming to stop the unauthorised use of amplifiers and loudspeakers in religious buildings, which is against the Rules.
Acting Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice SS Magadum of a Division Bench submitted a letter to the State and scheduled a session for November 16. The inhabitants of ICON North Apartment filed a petition alleging that the defendants had failed to follow the Rules on a systemic basis.
It was also claimed that the 5th Respondent Police and the 9th Respondent, the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board, had refused to pay attention on the petitioners' objections in a legal manner.
It went on to say that the petitioners had audio-video and photographic evidence that the respondents are utilising the conical loudspeakers for announcements and speeches before 5 a.m., breaching the allowed time restriction.
The High Court had requested an affidavit from sixteen mosques in August, stating whether they would abstain from being used loudspeakers or public address systems until formal approval was obtained in compliance with the Rules. Even during hearing, one of the respondents mosques stated that it had placed a system in its loudspeakers and amplifiers that will turn off the supply to the speaker if the sound levels surpass the permitted decibel limits.
Meanwhile, the Court ruled in July that it was not permissible to single out one religion when it came to the illegal use of amplifiers and loudspeakers in religious buildings.