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PRAYAGRAJ: The Allahabad high court has directed authorities in Budaun not to interfere with prayers being offered in a mosque located on a private property. In its Feb 25 directive, published recently, a division bench comprising Justices Shekhar B Saraf and Vivek Saran agreed with a view taken previously by a coordinate bench that there was no prohibition in law against conducting a religious prayer meeting on private premises. “Upon perusal of the said judgment, we are in consensus with the view taken by the coordinate bench and, accordingly, direct the respondent-authorities not to interfere in any manner with regard to the prayers being offered within the premises of the petitioners,” the HC said. The directive came on a petition filed by one Ali Sher of Budaun, who had sought directions to restrain the authorities from causing any interference or obstruction in the peaceful offering of namaz by the petitioner, his family members and other members of the Muslim community in a mosque existing over a portion of his property. His counsel had cited the judgment delivered by a division bench on Jan 27 in the case of Maranatha Full Gospel Ministries versus State of Uttar Pradesh and others.
