Resign if can’t enforce Rule of Law: Allahabad HC slams UP officials over Sambhal Namaz restrictions

Prayagraj (UP): The Allahabad High Court has set aside a decision by the Uttar Pradesh administration to restrict the number of individuals permitted to offer Namaz at a mosque in Sambhal. In a stern rebuke of the local authorities, the court asserted that the state’s primary duty is to protect the right to worship rather than curtail it due to perceived incompetence in managing law and order.
 

A Division Bench, comprising Justice Atul Sreedharan and Justice Siddharth Nandan, delivered a scathing assessment of the Superintendent of Police (SP) and the District Collector. The court stated that if these officials feel unable to maintain peace without infringing on religious rights, they should vacate their positions.

"If the local authorities... feel that the law and order situation could arise because of which they want to limit the number of worshippers within the premises, they should either resign from their post or seek transfer out of Sambhal if they feel they are not competent enough to enforce the rule of law," the Bench remarked.

The court further stated that it is the State’s constitutional obligation to ensure every community can worship peacefully in designated areas. The Bench emphasised that for worship conducted on private property—as previously established by the court—no prior permission from the State is required.