Table of Contents
What has happened?
- The Karnataka government on Wednesday informed the legislative assembly that as per the Hindu Religious Institutions and Charitable Endowments Act 2002,
- Non-Hindus cannot do business in and around the premises of the Hindu religious institutions.
What’s the matter?
- At the assembly, responding to a question raised during zero hour by Congress MLAs UT Khader and Rizwan Arshad, On banners, flyers and posters being distributed in religious places asking the non-Hindus to vacate the shops and stop doing business outside the temples, Law minister J C Madhuswamy justified that there is a law which prevents them from doing so.
- “As per rule number 12 under the act, non-Hindus are barred from the premises to do business in and around the premises.
- However, if it is beyond the Hindu religious area, we will initiate action against those who are putting up these banners and posters,” said Madhuswamy.
Targeting roadside vendors
- However, Khader and opposition leader Siddaramaiah insisted that the banners and posters are targeting even the roadside vendors who are making an honest living.
- “Such posters, flyers and banners are creating a discord in our society and destroying communal harmony. We urge the government to ensure such incidents do not occur,” said Khader.
- “They are not stealing or indulging in dacoity. They are leading a respectful life. But because of some vested interests, banners and posters have been put up at various places across the state, insisting that non-Hindus are not allowed to do their business. It does not say who put up those posters.
- These are cowards who are indulging in such acts,” he said.
- “The mischief is being committed by communal elements, who want to disrupt peace in society. The police too are refusing to register cases,” he alleged.
- To this, chief minister Basavaraj Bommai said that since the law is already prevalent and that the government will look into the issue further.
- “During jathre (temple festival), a lot of shops are sub-leased for business to non-hindus.
- The lessees, who would have taken the property from the management board of the temples and religious institutions, would have done so to make some money.
- These are business dealing and we cannot interfere. in such cases, we will look into the law and also look into the facts of the cases,” said bommai.
Passed during congress
- The law was passed during the Congress government, said Law Minister JC Madhuswamy on the floor of the Assembly on Wednesday.
- These rules were not framed by BJP, but Congress that was in power at that time, he pointed out.
Where these incidents are taking place?
- The issue of non–Hindus, primarily the Muslim business community, having been asked to stop doing business in and around temple premises,
- By way of posters, flyers and banners being put up has been reported from across the coastal region of dakshina kannada and udupi districts, Apart from those in shivamogga, sirsi and on the outskirts of bengaluru, in nelamangala.
- People cannot be denied their right to carry out commercial activity on temple premises just because they are not Hindus, The Supreme Court observed last year, directing the Andhra Pradesh government to grant licence and lease for shops to non-Hindus.
- “It is one thing to say that you cannot have a liquor shop or anything like this in a temple premises but to say that non-Hindus cannot conduct any commercial activity is too far-fetched. How can you say that a non-Hindu cannot even sell flowers or toys there?”
- The court was considering a bunch of pleas against the high court’s September 2019 judgment,
- Affirming the state government order on prohibiting non-Hindus against obtaining lease and licence for shops, malls and shopping complexes belonging to Hindu religious institutions.
- The petitioners, all Muslims, said that the 2015 government order violated their right to life as they ran shops at these properties leased to them in accordance with norms.
Q) Which of the following is not correct regarding Freedom of Speech & Expression in India?
- It is enshrined in Part 3 of the constitution
- It is not an absolute right
- It can not be curtailed by legislation
- It can be suspended in emergency
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