Image Courtesy:hindustantimes.com

After Uttar Pradesh government’s latest directives on the use of loudspeakers, in places of worship, the Shree Krishna Janmabhoomi temple muted its main one. The temple used to play Manglacharan Aarti from 5:30 A.M to 6:30 A.M daily, but has now muted the loudspeaker since Wednesday.

The Shree Krishna Janmabhoomi temple will now comply with the UP government directive that the sound of the loudspeaker should be limited to the premises, and not inconvenience others. According to news reports, Shree Krishna Janmasthan Sewa Sansthan, secretary Kapil Sharma, said the decision to switch the loudspeaker off was taken at a meeting of the office bearers of the Sansthan on Tuesday night. He told the media that “now the bhajans were being played on low sound on speakers inside the temple respecting CM Yogi Adityanath’s directives.” The UP Chief Minister Adityanath had ordered that no religious procession be allowed without permission, and that use of loudspeakers should not inconvenience others.

Meanwhile the Gautam Budhh Nagar police reportedly issued notices to around 900 religious places, including temples and mosques over the use of loudspeakers, stated news reports. Police told the media, “Notices were served on 602 temples out of 621, 265 mosques out of 268, 16 other religious places as well as 217 wedding halls and 175 DJ operators." 

Aligarh city’s  BJP MLA from Mukta Raja also wrote to the Additional District Magistrate (ADM) “seeking details of loudspeakers mounted at mosques”. The letter reportedly “asked the ADM about the intensity of the loudspeakers installed at the mosques and if they were in consonance with court directives.” The BJP MLA has asked that the ADM “conduct physical examination of the loudspeakers”. The Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board rules state that loudspeakers should not be operated after 10 P.M and before 6 A.M, and must  be fitted with a 'sound limiter'.

According to a report in Hindustan Times, Uttar Pradesh’s religious leaders have applauded the CM’s appeal, and “some districts, including Mathura and Kanpur, saw voluntary steps to either let loudspeakers remain silent or remove them from temples.” Muslim clerics have also asked the mosque committees to reduce the volume of loudspeakers stated the news report. Maulana Khalid Rasheed Farangi Mahali, Imam Eidgah in Lucknow was quoted saying, “We welcome CM’s order and we believe that it is a general order. We have directed all the mosques here to limit the sound of the loudspeakers and to ensure that it may not come out of the premises.” 

Back in 2018 too, the Uttar Pradesh government had banned “unauthorised use of loudspeakers and public address systems at religious and public places across the state.” According to a report in the Indian Express from that year the “the government has warned that all such loudspeakers will be removed” after the January 20, 2018 deadline. Those orders had been given after the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court, on December 20, 2017 had “asked the state government whether written permission was obtained from the concerned authorities before loudspeakers or public address systems were installed at religious places like mosques, temples, churches and gurdwaras.” 

On January 4 an in order “addressed to all district magistrates, senior superintendents of police and superintendents of police, State Principal Secretary (Home) Arvind Kumar has asked them to form teams, comprising revenue and police officials in their respective districts, to identify religious and public places where unauthorised loudspeakers and public address systems are being used,” reported the IE.

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