Amid ongoing loudspeaker row, it has come to light that Mumbai Police have registered two first information reports (FIR) against two persons for violating the Supreme Court ban on noise pollution between 10 pm and 6 am in the city.
In both cases, the police warned the masjid officials against offering the azaan on loudspeakers in the wee hours or before its stipulated time.
Read More: Mumbai Police Issues Guidelines Over The Use Of Loudspeakers - Read Here
According to reports, complaint has been filed at Bandra and Santacruz police stations against the imams (head priests) of Noorani Masjid and Muslim Kabristan Masjid for allegedly using loudspeakers for the early morning prayers before 6 am.
However, no arrests have been made so far in this case.
Reports further stated that in the first case, an on-duty police constable from the Bandra police station complained that he had heard the azaan being sounded through a loudspeaker at 5.15 am on Thursday, May 5. It was from the Noorani Masjid at Bazaar Road in Bandra (West).
The constable said Zakir Khan, a member of the mosque committee, admitted he had been informed by the police in advance of the timings fixed for using loudspeakers.
Anwar Shah, 28, who gave the call to prayer was booked under the Indian Penal Code and the Maharashtra Police Act for allegedly flouting the Supreme Court guidelines and the Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules, 2000.
Also Read: Loudspeaker Row: Hindus Have Suffered More Because Of Raj Thackeray: Congress' Sachin Sawant
Meanwhile, in the second case, a sub-inspector from the Santacruz police is the complainant. He was on duty when he heard the azaan being sounded through a loudspeaker at 5.35 am and rushed to the Muslim Kabristan Masjid on the linking road in Santacruz (West).
The mosque’s president, Arif Siddiqui, applied for loudspeaker permission on April 30 and was on Monday granted permission to use loudspeakers between 6 am and 10 pm.
An FIR was registered against the mosque’s imam, Shoaib Shaikh, 30, who sounded the call to prayer through a loudspeaker. He was booked under Sections 188 and 34 of the Indian Penal Code and 131 (penalty), 33 (1) (power to make rules or regulation of traffic and for preservation of order in a public place), 33 (1) (r) (iii) (using a loudspeaker in or near any public place) of the Maharashtra Police Act.
This controversial issue bounced back to the headlines recently after the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray gave an ultimatum to the state government to ban the use of loudspeakers in mosques and temples.
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