Mumbai: The Chunabhatti Police have registered a case against two trustees of the Anjuman Shahe Alam Madarsa Habibiya Anjul Islam, located at Namdar Chawl, Qureshi Nagar, for allegedly using loudspeakers without official permission, thereby causing noise pollution in the local area.
The accused have been identified as Salim Aziz Shah, 52, and Taufiq Zainuddin Shah, 37. The incident occurred on June 15 between 6:30 PM and 7:00 PM, when the police observed the unauthorized use of loudspeakers during routine patrolling.
According to the FIR, the action violates the Bombay High Court’s January 23 directive issued in a writ petition regarding the use of loudspeakers at religious places. The court had ruled that loudspeakers are not an essential part of any religious practice and instructed police to ensure compliance with noise pollution norms.
Earlier, on March 2, the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) of Chunabhatti Police had summoned trustees of all mosques in the area for a meeting. During this session, they were informed about the High Court’s ruling and were explicitly told that using loudspeakers at religious places requires official police permission.
A written notice had also been served to the trustees of the Anjuman Shahe Alam Madarsa, stating that they must obtain proper authorization and maintain permissible decibel levels if they intended to use loudspeakers.
Despite these instructions, the trustees allegedly used loudspeakers without securing the required permission. The police have filed charges under relevant sections of the Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules, 2000, and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) Act. The investigation is ongoing.
