The Calcutta High Court on Thursday declined to grant immediate permission for devotees to offer prayers at the Bankra mosque situated within the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport complex, following objections raised by airport management and state authorities over flight operations and perimeter security.
Justice Krishna Rao, who took up the plea filed by the mosque committee challenging the ban on public access, scheduled the next hearing for October 7 after the proceedings remained inconclusive due to a shortage of court time.
Security Concerns And Arguments In Court
Opposing the committee’s petition for interim relief, Additional Solicitor General Dhiraj Trivedi, representing the authorities, told the court that the mosque is located inside the airport’s operational zone, roughly 165 metres away from the secondary runway. Aviation officials have formally categorised the structure as an obstacle.
The authorities also highlighted past incidents where unauthorised individuals managed to breach the perimeter and reach the airport apron. During the hearing, the court referred to the recent Flydubai security episode, observing that aviation threats are an international reality rather than an issue limited to India.
Representing the mosque committee, senior advocate Kishore Dutta argued that an outright prohibition on worship was unnecessary when regulated access was previously viable. Dutta pointed out that devotees had earlier been permitted to enter after clearing security screenings, following which the Central Industrial Security Force transported them to the mosque aboard designated buses during prayer hours. He submitted that a similar structured protocol could be maintained instead of abruptly halting religious observances.
Background Of The Dispute
Access to the 130-year-old mosque, which existed well before the modern airport facility was constructed, was stopped by airport authorities in July citing heightened security protocols. The suspension reignited discussions regarding the potential relocation of the site.
The move drew political scrutiny in July when Trinamool Congress MP Sougata Roy accused the central government and airport administrators of using safety concerns as a pretext to push for the mosque’s relocation. Roy stated that any administrative determination concerning the premises required prior dialogue with the local minority community.
Around the same time, Siddiqullah Chowdhury, a former state minister in the Mamata Banerjee administration and president of the Bankra mosque committee, publicly stated that the mosque could not be surrendered. Chowdhury noted that committee representatives had repeatedly asked airport officials to engage prominent religious and legal organisations—including Darul Uloom Deoband, the All India Muslim Personal Law Board, and the Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind—to participate in discussions aimed at achieving a peaceful and religiously acceptable resolution.
The High Court will resume hearing the petition on October 7.
