The Allahabad High Court has ordered Saharanpur police and district administration not to interfere with the recitation of the Azan five times a day at Ayesha Mosque, provided the mosque complies with the Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules, 2000 and the court’s 2020 ruling on loudspeaker use for Azan.
A division bench of Justice Ajit Kumar and Justice Garima Prashad issued the directive on October 1 after a writ petition filed by Shanawaz Khan and five other residents. The petitioners sought permission to use loudspeakers for the Azan, arguing that earlier judicial pronouncements allowed such use but local authorities were denying them.
The state explained that the petitioners had not been prohibited from performing the Azan; the restriction applied only to the manner of using loudspeakers, which must meet the decibel limits and time restrictions set by the Noise Pollution Rules. The court referenced its 2020 judgment in Afzal Ansari and others, which held that loudspeaker use for Azan is not an essential religious act and is subject to public order, morality and health considerations.
The court required the petitioners to submit an application with a notarised affidavit pledging strict adherence to the Noise Pollution Rules and the 2020 judgment’s directions. If the affidavit is filed, authorities will not interfere with the mosque’s right to perform the Azan, but they may act if the undertaking is violated.
