Hyderabad: An Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed with the Telangana High Court seeking direction to rebuild the places of worship at Secretariat, came up for hearing on Tuesday. The court had directed the state Government to file a counter affidavit.
A city based practising lawyer Khaja Aijazuddin has filed a writ petition (PIL) before the Telangana High court pleading to pass orders directing the Government of Telangana to rebuild three places of worship including two Mosques and a Temple that were razed earlier.
After the hearing a bench comprising Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice P Madhavi Devi directed the state Government to file the counter affidavit in the case.
The Union Ministry for Minority affairs, Chief Secretary Telangana, Chairman Telangana State Wakf Board have been made respondents in the writ petition.
The Lawyer in his petition contended that there were three religious places which had existed since a long time within the vicinity of the Secretariat Building complex at Hyderabad in Telangana State. The Secretariat Complex is spread upon 25 Acres and it houses the offices of the Chief Minister of Telangana, Council of Ministers and Bureaucrats. He contended that within the Secretariat Complex existed Temple namely Nalla Pochamma Temple which is situated at in one of the Block A Block, and Two Mosques namely Masjid Dafatir-e-Muttamadi located adjacent to the C Block and Masjid-e-Hashmi Located near the ‘D’ Block. The said Temple and the two mosques are part and parcel within the Secretariat Building Complex and there is no dispute as far as the existence of the religious places.
The act of demolition is highly unwarranted illegal and unconstitutional and consequently direct the Government to rebuild the Two Mosques inside the Secretariat Complex Building Hyderabad where it stood at or may direct authorities to pass Executive Order or Government Order by giving commitment for rebuilding the two mosques where it stood at within the Secretariat Complex Building Hyderabad Telangana State.
The demolition of places of worship on 17 July onwards by the Government of Telangana has resulted in the chaos and hurting the sentiments of the people.
The Lawyer informed the court that it is a settled Principle of Law once the religious structure existed its remains forever as the same is enshrined under Article 26 of the Constitution of India. The matter is posted for further hearing on January 4, 2022.
