The Allahabad High Court has directed the District Magistrate and Senior Superintendent of Police of Bareilly to appear before it on March 23 after a petitioner alleged that local authorities prevented him from offering namaz inside his own residence.
The order was passed by a division bench comprising Justice Atul Sreedharan and Justice Siddhartha Nandan while hearing a petition filed by Tarik Khan, a resident of Bareilly.
Khan has alleged in his plea that officials did not allow him to offer namaz inside his house on January 16. The petition claims that despite the prayer being proposed within the private premises of his residence, the authorities denied permission.
During an earlier hearing on February 12, the High Court had granted time to the State counsel to respond to the allegations and issued notices to the District Magistrate and Senior Superintendent of Police of Bareilly.
Taking note of the grievance raised in the petition, the bench has now directed both officials to appear before the court on March 23.
While hearing the matter, the court also referred to its earlier observations in a separate case involving Maranatha Full Gospel Ministries. In that case, the High Court had clarified that individuals have the right to conduct prayers in their own private premises without requiring permission from the state.
The court had, however, added an important qualification. It observed that if any religious gathering extends beyond private property and spills over onto a public road or public place, the person concerned must inform the police and obtain any permission required under law.
The present petition will now be taken up again after the appearance of the Bareilly District Magistrate and Senior Superintendent of Police before the court on the next date of hearing.
