UP: No Azaan On Loudspeakers, Only Human Voice Allowed, Says Allahabad High Court

The Allahabad High Court allowed 'azaan' from mosques but said that the use of loudspeakers will not be permitted.

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New Delhi: In Uttar Pradesh, Allahabad High Court has allowed 'azaan' in mosques during the lockdown but without the use of loudspeakers. According to an IANS report, the Allahabad High Court on Friday allowed 'azaan' from mosques but said that the use of loudspeakers will not be permitted. Azaan is the Islamic call to prayer which is recited by a muezzin at a specific time of the day. Azaans are done five times a day and usually, mosques use loudspeakers to summon followers in the area and alert them about the time to start prayers. The court said in its ruling that 'azaan' was a part of Islam but using loudspeakers is not a part of the religion. According to the report, the bench comprising Justice Shashikant Gupta and Justice Ajit Kumar gave this ruling on separate petitions filed by BSP MP Afzal Ansari and Syed Mohd Faizal of Farrukhabad. The court also saw the use of loudspeakers as an ‘infringement on the rights of others’ as it disturbs their sleep and it said in the ruling that ‘one person must not infringe on the rights of others.’ The court has therefore allowed the 'muezzin' of the mosques to hold 'azaan' without loudspeakers. The report said that the court also asked the chief secretary to inform all district magistrates of the order accordingly. Recently, noted writer and lyricist Javed Akhtar had said that the Islamic call to prayer on loudspeakers should be stopped as it causes "discomfort" to others.