M.SIDDIQ (D) THR. LRS. vs. MAHANT SURESH DAS

1
REPORTABLE
  IN THE SUPREME COURT OF INDIA
CIVIL APPELLATE JURISDICTION
  CIVIL APPEAL NOS.  10866    ­10867 OF 2010
M. SIDDIQ (D) THR. LRS.                   … APPELLANT(S)
VERSUS
MAHANT SURESH DAS AND OTHERS ETC.        … RESPONDENT(S)
WITH
C.A.   No. 4768­4771/2011,   C.A.   No.   2636/2011,
C.A. No. 821/2011, C.A. No. 4739/2011, C.A. No. 4905­
4908/2011,  C.A. No. 2215/2011, C.A. No. 4740/2011, C.A.
No. 2894/2011, C.A. No. 6965/2011, C.A. No. 4192/2011,
C.A.   No.   5498/2011,   C.A.   No.   7226/2011,   C.A.   No.
8096/2011,       C.A.No.   ________   of   2018   (@   Diary   No.
22744/2017).
J U D G M E N T
ASHOK BHUSHAN, J.(For Self & Dipak Misra, CJI.)
These appeals were fixed for commencement of final
arguments on 05.12.2017, when Dr. Rajeev Dhavan, learned
senior   counsel   appearing   for   the   appellants   (C.A.   No.
Signature Not Verified
Digitally signed by
DEEPAK GUGLANI
Date: 2018.09.27
16:02:26 IST
Reason:
10866­10867 of 2010 and C.A. No. 2215 of 2011) submitted
that the Constitution Bench Judgment of this Court in

2
Dr. M. Ismail Faruqui and Ors. Vs. Union of India and
Ors.,   (1994)   6   SCC   360   (hereinafter   referred   to   as
“ Ismail   Faruqui’s   case”)   needs   reconsideration,   hence
the   reference   be   made   to   a   larger   Bench.     The   above
submission of Dr. Dhavan was opposed by learned counsel
appearing for the respondents.  After completion of the
pleadings, when matter was again taken on 14.03.2018, we
thought it appropriate that we should hear Dr. Dhavan as
to   whether   the   judgment   in   Ismail   Faruqui’s   case
requires reconsideration.  
2. We   have   heard   Dr.   Rajeev   Dhavan,   learned   senior
counsel for the appellants, Shri K. Parasaran and Shri
C.S.   Vaidyanathan,   learned   senior   counsel   for   the
respondents in Civil Appeal Nos. 4768­4771 of 2011, Shri
Tushar Mehta, learned Additional Solicitor General has
appeared for the State of U.P.  We have also heard Shri
P.N. Mishra, Shri S.K. Jain and several other learned
counsels.       Shri   Raju   Ramachandran,   learned   senior
counsel   has   also   addressed   submissions   supporting   the
reference   to   larger   Bench.     Learned   counsel   for   the
parties have given their notes of submissions. 
3. Before   we   notice   the   respective   submissions   of

3
learned counsel for the parties, we need to notice few
facts, leading to the   Constitution Bench decision in
Ismail   Faruqui’s   case.     The   sequence   of   events   which
lead   filing   of   these   appeals   be   also   noticed.       The
Constitution   Bench   in   Ismail   Faruqui’s   case   has
extracted   few   facts   from   White   Paper,   which   was
published by Central Government.  In Para 5 and 6 of the
judgment, the Constitution Bench noticed:­
“ 5.  The ‘Overview’ at the commencement of the
White Paper in Chapter I states thus:
“1.1   Ayodhya   situated   in   the   north
of India is a township in District
Faizabad   of   Uttar   Pradesh.   It   has
long been a place of holy pilgrimage
because of its mention in the epic
Ramayana   as   the   place   of   birth   of
Sri   Ram.   The   structure   commonly
known   as   Ram   Janma   Bhoomi­Babri
Masjid   was   erected   as   a   mosque   by
one Mir Baqi in Ayodhya in 1528 AD.
It is claimed by some sections that
it was built at the site believed to
be the birthspot of Sri Ram where a
temple   had   stood   earlier.   This
resulted in a long­standing dispute.
1.2   The   controversy   entered   a   new
phase with the placing of idols in
the   disputed   structure   in   December
1949.   The   premises   were   attached
under   Section   145   of the   Code   of
Criminal Procedure. Civil suits were
filed   shortly   thereafter.   Interim
orders   in   these   civil   suits

4
restrained the parties from removing
the idols or interfering with their
worship. In effect, therefore, from
December   1949   till   6­12­1992   the
structure   had   not   been   used   as   a
mosque.”
6.  The movement to construct a Ram Temple at
the site of the disputed structure gathered
momentum   in   recent   years   which   became   a
matter of great controversy and a source of
tension.   This   led   to   several   parleys   the
details   of   which   are   not   very   material   for
the present purpose. These parleys involving
the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and the All
India Babri Masjid Action Committee (AIBMAC),
however, failed to resolve the dispute. A new
dimension   was   added   to   the   campaign   for
construction of the temple with the formation
of   the   Government   in   Uttar   Pradesh   in   June
1991 by the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) which
declared   its   commitment   to   the   construction
of the temple and took certain steps like the
acquisition   of   land   adjoining   the   disputed
structure   while   leaving   out   the   disputed
structure   itself   from   the acquisition.   The
focus   of   the   temple   construction   movement
from October 1991 was to start construction
of the temple by way of  kar sewa  on the land
acquired by the Government of Uttar Pradesh
while leaving the disputed structure intact.
This   attempt   did   not   succeed   and   there   was
litigation   in   the   Allahabad   High   Court   as
well as in this Court. There was a call for
resumption of  kar sewa  from 6­12­1992 and the
announcement made by the organisers was for a
symbolic   kar   sewa   without   violation   of   the
court   orders   including   those   made   in   the
proceedings pending in this Court. In spite
of initial reports from Ayodhya on 6­12­1992
indicating an air of normalcy, around midday
a   crowd   addressed   by   leaders   of   BJP,   VHP,
etc.,   climbed   the   Ram   Janma   Bhumi­Babri
Masjid   (RJM­BM)   structure   and   started

5
damaging the domes. Within a short time, the
entire structure was demolished and razed to
the   ground.   Indeed,   it   was   an   act   of
“national shame”. What was demolished was not
merely an ancient structure; but the faith of
the   minorities   in   the   sense   of   justice   and
fairplay of majority. It shook their faith in
the rule of law and constitutional processes.
A   five­hundred­year­old   structure   which   was
defenceless   and   whose   safety   was   a   sacred
trust   in   the   hands   of   the   State   Government
was demolished.”
4. The Constitution Bench has noticed details of suits,
which were filed in the year 1950 and thereafter, which
suits were ultimately transferred to the Allahabad High
Court to be heard together in the year 1989.  In Para 9
of the judgment, following has been noticed:­
“ 9.   A   brief reference   to   certain   suits   in
this connection may now be made. In 1950, two
suits were filed by some Hindus;  in one of
these suits in January 1950, the trial court
passed   interim   orders   whereby   the   idols
remained   at   the   place   where   they   were
installed in December 1949 and their puja by
the Hindus continued. The interim order was
confirmed by the High Court in April 1955. On
1­2­1986,   the   District   Judge   ordered   the
opening of the lock placed on a grill leading
to the sanctum sanctorum of the shrine in the
disputed structure and permitted puja by the
Hindu devotees. In 1959, a suit was filed by
the   Nirmohi   Akhara   claiming   title   to   the
disputed structure. In 1981, another suit was
filed   claiming   title   to   the   disputed
structure by the Sunni Central Wakf Board. In
1989,   Deoki   Nandan   Agarwal,   as   the   next
friend   of   the   Deity   filed   a   title   suit   in
respect of the disputed structure. In 1989,

6
the aforementioned suits were transferred to
the Allahabad High Court and were ordered to
be   heard   together.   On   14­8­1989,   the   High
Court ordered the maintenance of status quo
in   respect   of   the   disputed   structure
(Appendix­I to the White Paper). As earlier
mentioned,  it is stated in  para 1.2 of the
White Paper that:
“…  interim   orders   in   these   civil
suits   restrained   the   parties   from
removing   the   idols   or   interfering
with   their   worship.   In   effect,
therefore,   from   December   1949   till
6­12­1992 the structure had not been
used as a mosque.”
5. As   a   result   of   the   happenings   at   Ayodhya   on
06.12.1992, the President of India issued a proclamation
under Article 356 of the Constitution of India assuming
to himself all the functions of the Government of Uttar
Pradesh,   dissolving   the   U.P.   Vidhan   Sabha.     As   a
consequence of the events at Ayodhya on 06.12.1992, the
Central   Government   decided   to   acquire   all   areas   in
dispute   in   the   suits   pending   in   the   Allahabad   High
Court. It was also decided to acquire suitable adjacent
area, which would be made available to two Trusts for
construction of a Ram Temple and a Mosque respectively.
The Government of India has also decided to request the
President to seek the opinion of the Supreme Court on
the question whether there was a Hindu temple existing

7
on   the   site   where   the   disputed   structure   stood.     An
ordinance was issued on 07.01.1993 namely “Acquisition
of Certain Area at Ayodhya Ordinance” for acquisition of
67.703 acres of land in the Ram Janam Bhumi­Babri Masjid
complex.  A reference to the Supreme Court under Article
143 of the Constitution was also made on the same day,
i.e. 07.01.1993.   The Ordinance No. 8 of 1993 had been
replaced by the Acquisition of Certain Area at Ayodhya
Act, 1993 (No. 33 of 1993) (hereinafter referred to as
“Act,   1993”).     A   Writ   Petition   Under   Article   32   was
filed in this Court challenging the validity of the Act
No.   33   of   1993.     Several   writ   petitions   at   Allahabad
High Court were also filed challenging various aspects
of the Act, 1993. This Court exercising its jurisdiction
under Article 139A had transferred the writ petitions,
which   were   pending   in   the   High   Court.     The   Writ
Petitions under Article 32, transferred cases from High
Court   of   Allahabad   as   well   as   Reference   No.1   of   1993
made   by   President   under   Article   143   were   all   heard
together   and   decided   by   common   judgment   dated
24.10.1994, where the Constitution Bench had upheld the
validity of the Act except that of Section 4(3) of the

8
Act, 1993 which was struck down.  
6. After   the   judgment   of   this   Court   in   the   above
Constitution   Bench,   all   the   suits,   which   had   been
transferred   by   the   High   Court   to   be   heard   by   a   Full
Bench of the High Court stood revived.  One Mohd. Aslam,
who   was   also   one   of   the   petitioners   in   Constitution
Bench   Judgment   in   Ismail   Faruqui’s   case   filed   a   writ
petition seeking certain reliefs with regard to 67.703
acres of land acquired under the Act, 1993.  This Court
on 13.03.2002 passed an interim order.  Paras 4 and 5 of
the interim order are as follows:­
“ 4.     In   the   meantime,   we   direct   that   on
67.703   acres   of   acquired   land   located   in
various plots detailed in the Schedule to the
Acquisition of Certain Area at Ayodhya Act,
1993,   which   is   vested   in   the   Central
Government, no religious activity of any kind
by anyone either symbolic or actual including
bhumi puja or shila puja, shall be permitted
or allowed to take place.
5.     Furthermore,   no   part   of   the   aforesaid
land shall be handed over by the Government
to anyone and the same shall be retained by
the Government till the disposal of this writ
petition nor shall any part of this land be
permitted   to   be   occupied   or   used   for   any
religious   purpose   or   in   connection
therewith.”
7. The above writ petition was ultimately decided on
31.03.2003   by   a   Constitution   Bench,   which   judgment   is

9
reported in  (2003) 4 SCC 1, Mohd. Aslam alias Bhure Vs.
Union   of   India   and   Others.   Before   the   Constitution
Bench, both the parties had placed reliance on   Ismail
Faruqui’s  case. This Court disposed of the writ petition
directing that order of this Court dated 13.03.2002 as
modified   on   14.03.2002   should   be   operative   until
disposal of the suits in the High Court of Allahabad.
The Allahabad High Court after hearing all the suits on
merits   decided   all   the   suits   vide   its   judgment   dated
30.08.2010.  The parties aggrieved ­ both plaintiffs and
defendants   in   the   original   suits   have   filed   these
appeals in this Court.  
8. Dr. Rajeev Dhavan submits that judgment in   Ismail
Faruqui’s   case had made observations that a mosque is
not an essential part of the practice of the religion of
Islam   and   namaz   (prayer)   by   Muslims   can   be   offered
anywhere, even in open.   The observations made by the
Constitution   Bench   has   influenced   the   decisions   under
the   appeal,   the   law   laid   down   in   in
Ismail   Faruqui  
relation to praying in a mosque not being an essential
practice is contrary to both, i.e. the law relating to
essential   practice   and   the   process   by   which   essential

10
practice is to be considered. Whether essential practice
can   be   decided   on   a   mere   ipse   dixit   of   the   Court   or
whether the Court is obliged to examine belief, tenets
and practices, is a pure question of law.   The   Ismail
Faruqui ’s   judgment   being   devoid   of   any   examination   on
the above issues,   the matter need to go to a larger
Bench. 
9. Dr. Dhavan specifically referred to paras 78 and 82
of   the   judgment   in   Ismail   Faruqui’s   case.     He
specifically   attacked   following   observations   in
Paragraph 78 :­
“78. While offer of  prayer or worship  is a
religious   practice,   its   offering   at   every
location   where   such   prayers   can   be   offered
would not be an essential or integral part of
such religious practice unless the place has
a   particular   significance   for   that   religion
so as to form an essential or integral part
thereof.   Places   of   worship   of   any   religion
having   particular   significance   for   that
religion, to make it an essential or integral
part   of   the   religion,   stand   on   a   different
footing   and   have   to   be   treated   differently
and more reverentially.”
10. In   Para   82,   following   observation   is   specifically
attacked:­
“A   mosque   is   not   an   essential   part   of   the
practice   of   the   religion   of   Islam   and
namaz(prayer)   by   Muslims   can   be   offered

11
anywhere, even in open.”
11. He   submits   that   essential   practice   of   a   religion
requires   a   detailed   examination.     He   has   referred   to
various   judgments   of   this   Court   to   support   his
submission that wherever this Court had to determine the
essential practice of a religion, detailed examination
was undertaken.   He submits that   Ismail Faruqui ’s case
does   not   refer   to   any   material   nor   enters   into   any
detailed examination before making the observations in
Paragraphs   78   and   82   as   noticed   above.     Dr.   Dhavan
further   submits   that   a   broad   test   of   essentiality   as
laid   down   by   Seven   Judges   Bench   in   The   Commissioner,
Hindu Religious Endowments, Madras Vs. Sri Lakshmindra
Thirtha Swamiar of Sri Shirur Mutt, 1954 SCR 1005  cannot
be   cut   down   by   a   later   judgment   of   lesser   strength,
which judgments have introduced the test of integrality.
He   submits   that   the   test   of   integrality   is
interchangable   with   essentiality   test.     Dr. Dhavan,
during his submissions, has taken us to submissions made
by various parties before the High Court, where reliance
was   placed   on   Ismail   Faruqui ’s   case.     He   has   also
referred to various grounds taken in these appeals,

12
which grounds rely on the judgment of   Ismail Faruqui ’s
case.  He submits that the above furnishes ample grounds
for   appellants   to   pray   for   reconsideration   of  
Ismail
Faruqui ’s case.  Dr. Dhavan in his notes 'For reference
to   a   larger   Bench'   has   clarified   that   questionable
aspects   as   noted   above   are   not   the   ratio   of  
Ismail
Faruqui ’s case.  Dr. Dhavan submits that ratio in  Ismail
Faruqui ’s   case   can   be   summed   up   to   the   following
effect:­
(i) The suits revive in their entirety.
(ii) The   acquisition   was   legally   competent,
traceable   to   List   III   and   Entry   42   of   the
Seventh Schedule of the Constitution.
(iii) The   word   ‘vest’   has   multiple   meanings   and
implied   that   the   status   of   the   Central
Government   was   that   of   a   statutory   receiver
which would dispense with the land (including
the   other   areas   acquired)   in   accordance   with
the   judgment   in   the   suits   rather   than   the
Reference which was declined. 
(iv) Status quo as in Section 7(2) of the Act would
be   maintained,   justified   on   the   basis   of
comparative user since 1949.
(v) Secularism   is   a   facet   of equality   and
represents equal treatment of all religions in
their   own   terms   and   with   equal   respect   and

13
concern for all.
12. Shri K. Parasaran, learned senior counsel refuting
the submissions of Dr. Dhavan submitted that the prayer
for reconsideration of the judgment in  Ismail Faruqui ’s
case   is   not   maintainable   at   the   instance   of   the
appellants.   He submitted that those who were eo nomine
parties   to   the   proceedings   in   the   case   in   Ismail
Faruqui,   litigated   bona   fide   in   respect   of   a   public
right viz. the right of the Muslim public, all persons
interested   in   such   right   shall,   for   the   purposes   of
Section   11   Civil   Procedure   Code,   be   deemed   to   claim
under the persons so litigating and are barred by Res
Judicata in view of Explanation VI to Section 11 C.P.C.
He submits that the interests of Muslim community were
adequately   represented   before   this   Court   in   Ismail
Faruqui ’s case.     He further submits that the judgment
in  Ismail Faruqui ’s case is binding on those who are eo­
nomine parties thereto.  Even apart from the question of
res judicata, the doctrine of representation binds those
whose interests are the same in the subject matter of
Ram   Janam   Bhumi­Babri   Masjid   as   those   of   eo­nomine
parties.     He   submitted   that   the   appellants   are   not

14
entitled   to   request   for   reconsideration   of   the   said
judgment on the principle of doctrine of representation.
Mr. Parasaran submitted that to reconsider the judgment
in  Ismail Faruqui ’s case will be an exercise in futility
as   the   judgment   therein   is   binding   on   the   present
appellants. Assuming without admitting that by a further
reference   to   a   larger   bench   Ismail   Faruqui ’s   case   is
overruled,   nevertheless,   in   so   far   as   “Ayodhya
Janmasthan Babri Masjid” is concerned, the judgment in
Ismail   Faruqui ’s   case   will   still   be   binding   on   the
appellants   on   the   principle   of   finality.     He   submits
that in the present case, the submissions made were a
reargument of the submissions made in   Ismail Faruqui ’s
case as if it were an appeal against the said judgment
by canvassing the correctness of the said judgment.   He
further submits that in addition to being binding on the
parties, the judgment operates as a declaration of law
under Article 141 of the Constitution.      
13. Shri Parasaran further submits that observations in
Ismail Faruqui’s  case that a mosque is not an essential
part of the practice of Islam have to be read in the
context   of   validity   of   the   acquisition   of   the

15
suit property under the Act, 1993.     He submits that
this Court has not ruled that offering namaz by Muslims
is not an essential religious practice. It only ruled
that   the   right   to   offer   namaz  at   every   mosque   that
exists  is   not   essential   religious   practice.   But   if   a
place   of   worship   of   any   religion   has   a   particular
significance   for   that   religion,   enough   to   make   it   an
essential   or   integral   part   of   the   religion,   then   it
would stand on a different footing and would have to be
treated   differently   and   more   reverentially.
Mr.Parasaran respectfully submitted that the thrust of
the reasoning of this Court has to be understood as to
the freedom of religion under Articles 25 and 26 of the
Constitution   in   the   context   of the   inherent   sovereign
power of the State to compulsorily acquire property in
the exercise of its jurisdiction of eminent domain in a
secular democracy.   
14. Shri Parasaran further submits that the fundamental
right of the Muslim community under Article 25, to offer
namaz, is not affected because the Babri Masjid was not
a mosque with particular significance for that religion.
The faith/practice to offer namaz is an essential part

16
of Muslim religion and, therefore, it may be performed
in   any   mosque   at   Ayodhya.     Ayodhya   is   of   particular
significance   to   the   Hindus   as   a   place   of   pilgrimage
because   of   the   ancient   belief   that   Lord   Ram   was   born
there.     He   further   submits   that   the   impact   of
acquisition is equally on the right and interest of both
the communities. Shri Parasaran, during his submissions,
has also tried to  distinguish  the cases relied by the
appellants   to   support   their   submissions   in   favour   of
reference.  
15. Shri C.S. Vaidyanathan has submitted that present is
not a case where judgment of  Ismail Faruqui ’s case need
any   reference   to   a   larger   Bench.   He   has   adopted   the
submissions made by Shri Parasaran.
16. Shri   Tushar   Mehta,   learned   Additional   Solicitor
General,   submits   that   Constitution   Bench   judgment   of
this Court in   Ismail Faruqui ’s case is a correct law,
which does not deserves to be disturbed by referring it
to a larger Bench.  Shri Mehta further submits that the
prayer made by the appellants for referring to larger
Bench   deserves   to   be   rejected   on   the   ground   of
inordinate delay. He submits that judgment was rendered

17
in 1994.   The judgment came for consideration in   Mohd.
Aslam’s case, (2003) 4 SCC 1  where both the parties have
relied   on   the   judgments.     Had   there   been   any   genuine
grounds, request for reference ought to have been made
at that time.  He further submits that a request is not
a bona fide request and has been made with the intent to
delay   the   proceedings.     Shri   Tushar   Mehta,   learned
Additional   Solicitor   General   has   reiterated   his
submissions that State of U.P. is neutral in so far as
merits   of   the   case   of   either   of   the   parties   is
concerned.  
17. Shri   Parmeshwar   Nath   Mishra,   learned   counsel
appearing for one of the respondents submits that all
Mosques of the World are not essential for practice of
Islam.   During the submissions, he referred to various
texts, sculptures of the religion of Islam.  He further
submits that the Al­Masjid, Al­Haram i.e. Ka‘ba in Mecca
is a mosque of particular significance for the reasons
that there is Quranic command to offer prayers facing
towards   Ka‘ba   and   to   perform   Haj   as   well   as   Umra   in
Ka‘ba without which right to practise the religion of
Islam is not conceivable.  Two other Mosques namely, Al­

18
Masjid Al­Aqsa i.e. Baitul Muqaddas in Jerusalem and Al­
Masjid   of   Nabi   at   Madina   also   have   particular
significances   for   the   reason   that   besides   Ka‘ba,
pilgrimage to these two mosques have also been commanded
by the sacred Hadiths.   Shri Mishra in his submission
has   referred   to   and   relied   on   various   texts   and
sculptures.  He has referred to verses of Holy Quran and
Hadiths,   which   are   principal   source   of   religion   of
Islam, its beliefs, doctrine, tenets and practices.  
18. Shri S.K. Jain, learned senior counsel appearing for
Nirmohi Akhada has also refuted the submission of Dr.
Dhavan that   Ismail Faruqui ’s case needs to be referred
to a larger Bench.
19. Dr. Rajeev Dhavan in his submissions in rejoinder
refutes the submission of Shri Parasaran that principle
of res judicata is attracted in the present case.   He
submits that  Ismail Faruqui ’s case was about a challenge
to the Act, 1993 and the Presidential Reference and the
question as to whether in the light of the Act, 1993 the
suits abated due to Section 4(3) of the Act, 1993.  The
cases   under   these   appeals   are   from   suits,   where   the
issues were entirely different. He submits that for

19
constituting   a   matter   res   judicata   the   following
conditions must be satisfied, namely:­
1. The matter directly and substantially in issue
in   the   subsequent   suit   or   issue   must   be   the
same   matter   which   was   directly   and
substantially in issue in the former suit;
2. The former suit must have been a suit between
the same parties or between parties under whom
they or any of them claim;
3. The parties must have litigated under the same
title in the former suit;
4. The court which decided the former suit must be
a court competent to try the subsequent suit or
the   suit   in   which   such   issue   is   subsequently
raised; and
5. The matter directly and substantially in issue
in the subsequent suit must have been heard and
finally decided by the Court in the first suit.
Further Explanation I shows that it is not the
date on which the suit is filed that matters
but the date on which the suit is decided, so
that even if a suit was filed later, it will be
a former suit if it has been decided earlier.
In   order   therefore   that   the   decision   in   the
earlier two appeals dismissed by the High Court
operates   as   res   judicata   it   will   have   to   be
seen whether all the five conditions mentioned
above have been satisfied.          

20
20. He   submits   that   matter,   which   was   directly   and
substantially   in   issue   in   the   suits   is   entirely
different from the issues, which came for consideration
in the case of   Ismail Faruqui.   His submission is that
Ismail Faruqui ’s case was concerned with the Act, 1993
and the Presidential Reference.  He further submits that
issue   of   essentiality   of   a   Mosque   generally   was   not
before the Court and emerged only in the judgment.   He
further submits that pure questions of law are not res
judicata.   The ipse dixit of the Court that something
is, or not the essential practice is contrary to law.
He further submits that in the Constitution Bench, the
suits   were   not   transferred   rather   it   was   the   writ
petitions,   which   were   filed   in   the   High   Court
challenging   the   Act,   1993,   were   transferred.     No
transfer   of   the   suit   having   been   made   in   the   Supreme
Court to be heard alongwith   Ismail Faruqui ’s case, the
judgment in   Ismail Faruqui ’s case cannot be said to be
judgment   in   the   suits.     What   constitute   an   essential
practice   and   how   it   is   to   be   established   is   a   pure
question of law and not amenable to res judicata.  It is
open   to   this   court   to   examine   the   law   relating   to

21
determination and application of the essential practices
test.  The observations on prayer in a Mosque not being
essential   or   concept   of   particular   significance   and
comparative   significance   are   without   foundation.
Replying   to   the   submission   of   Shri   Tushar   Mehta,   Dr.
Dhavan submits that State has not taken a non­neutral
stance   in   the   present   proceedings.     He   submits   that
there   is   no   delay   on   the   part   of   the   appellants   in
praying   for   reconsideration   of   Ismail   Faruqui ’s
judgment.  He submits that impugned judgment of the High
Court is affected by the observations made in the  Ismail
Faruqui ’s   case.     He   submits that   submission   of   Shri
Tushar Mehta that prayer is not bonafide and has been
made   only   to   delay   the   proceedings   are   incorrect   and
deserves to be rejected.   Dr. Dhavan has also referred
to various observations made by judgment in High Court
to   support its   submissions   that   judgment   of   Ismail
Faruqui’s   case has influenced the judgment of the High
Court.  He has further referred to various submissions
   
made by the learned counsel for the parties relying on
judgment of  Ismail Faruqui ’s case before the High Court.
He further submits that in these appeals also, several

22
grounds have been taken by the different learned counsel
relying on  Ismail Faruqui ’s case.  
21. Learned counsel for the parties have referred to and
relied on various judgments of this Court, which shall
be   referred   to   while   considering   the   submissions   in
detail. 
22. Before   we   enter   into   the   submissions   advanced   by
the learned counsel for the parties it is relevant to
notice   certain   established   principle   on   reading   of   a
judgment of the Court. The focal point in the present
case being Constitution Bench judgment in  Dr. M. Ismail
Faruqui & Ors. vs. Union of India & Ors. reported   in
(1994) 6 SCC 360.   We have to find out the context of
observations made in the judgment which according to the
appellant   are   questionable   and   to   decide   whether   the
said observations furnish any ground for reconsideration
of the Constitution Bench judgment. The most celebrated
principle on reading of a judgment of a Court of law
which has been approved time and again by this Court is
the statement by LORD HALSBURY in  Quinn v. Leathem, 1901
AC 495,  where following was laid down:
“Before discussing the case of Allen v.
Flood   (1898)   AC   1   and   what   was   decided

23
therein,   there   are   two   observations   of   a
general character which I wish to make, and
one is to repeat what I have very often said
before, that every judgment must be read as
applicable to the particular facts proved, or
assumed to be proved, since the generality of
the expressions which may be found there are
not intended to be expositions of the whole
law,   but   are   governed   and   qualified   by   the
particular   facts   of   the   case   in   which   such
expressions   are   to   be   found.   The   other   is
that a case is only an authority for what it
actually decides. I entirely deny that it can
be quoted for a proposition that may seem to
follow   logically   from   it.   Such   a   mode   of
reasoning assumes that the law is necessarily
a   logical   code,   whereas   every   lawyer   must
acknowledge   that   the   law   is   not   always
logical at all. ”
23. The following words of LORD DENNING in the matter of
applying precedents have become locus classicus:
“Each case depends on its own facts and a
close similarity between one case and another
is   not   enough   because   even   a   single
significant   detail   may   alter   the   entire
aspect,   in   deciding   such   cases,   one   should
avoid the temptation to decide cases (as said
by  Cardozo, J.  )  by matching  the colour of
one   case   against   the   colour   of   another.   To
decide therefore, on which side of the line a
case falls, the broad resemblance to another
case is not at all decisive. 
  *
Precedent should be followed only so far
as it marks the path of justice, but you must
cut   the   dead   wood   and   trim   off   the   side
branches else you will find yourself lost in
thickets and branches. My plea is to keep the

24
path of justice clear of obstructions which
could impede it.”
The above passage has been quoted with approval by
this Court in  Sarva Shramik Sanghatana (KV), Mumbai vs.
State of Maharashtra and others, (2008) 1 SCC 494.
24. In   the   Constitution   Bench   judgment   in   Islamic
Academy of Education and another v. State of Karnataka
and others, (2003) 6 SCC 697,   Chief Justice   V.N. Khare
speaking for majority held:
“The ratio decidendi of a Judgment has to be
found   out   only   on   reading   the   entire
Judgment. In fact the ratio of the judgment
is  what is  set out  in the judgment itself.
The answer to the question would necessarily
have to be read in the context of what is set
out in the judgment and not in isolation. In
case   of   any   doubt   as   regards   any
observations,   reasons   and   principles,   the
other part of the judgment has to be looked
into. By reading a line here and there from,
the judgment, one cannot find out the entire
ratio   decidendi   of   the   judgment.   We,
therefore,   while   giving   our   clarifications,
are deposed to look into other parts of the
Judgment other than those portions which may
be relied upon.” 
25. Justice S.B. Sinha, J. in his concurring opinion has
reiterated   the   principles   of   interpretation   of   a
judgment in paragraphs 139 to 146. Following has been

25
held in paragraphs 139­146:
“ INTERPRETATION OF A JUDGMENT
139. A judgment, it is trite, is not to
be read as a statute. The ratio decidendi of
a   judgment   is   its   reasoning   which   can   be
deciphered only upon reading the same in its
entirety.   The   ratio   decidendi   of   a   case   or
the   principles   and   reasons   on   which   it   is
based   is   distinct   from   the   relief   finally
granted   or   the   manner   adopted   for   its
disposal.
[See   Executive   Engineer,   Dhenkanal   Minor
Irrigation   Division   v.   N.C.   Budharaj
[2001]2 SCC 721].
140.   In   Padma   Sundara   Rao   v.   State   of
T.N. ,(2002) 3 SCC 533, it is stated: (SCC p.
540 paragraph 9)
"There   is   always   peril   in   treating   the
words of a speech or judgment as though they
are words in a legislative enactment, and it
is to be remembered that judicial utterances
are   made   in   the   setting   of   the   facts   of   a
particular   case,   said   Lord   Morris   in
Herrington v. British Railways Board (1972) 2
WLR   537   [Sub   nom   British   Railways   Board   v.
Herrington,   (1972)   1   All   ER   749.
Circumstantial flexibility, one additional or
different fact may make a world of difference
between conclusions in two cases."
[See   also   Haryana   Financial   Corporation   v.
Jagadamba Oil Mills  (2002 3 SCC 496]
141. In  General Electric Co. v. Renusagar
Power   Co.,   (1987)   4   SCC   137 ,   it   was   held:
(SCC p.157, paragraph 20)
"As often enough pointed out by us, words
and expressions used in a judgment are not to
be construed in the same manner as statutes
or   as   words   and   expressions   defined   in

26
statutes. We do not have any doubt that when
the words "adjudication of the merits of the
controversy   in   the   suit"   were   used   by   this
Court in  State of U.P. v. Janki Saran Kailash
Chandra   [1974]1SCR31   ,   the   words   were   not
used   to   take   in   every   adjudication   which
brought to an end the proceeding before the
court   in   whatever   manner   but   were   meant   to
cover only such adjudication as touched upon
the   real   dispute   between   the   parties   which
gave   rise   to   the   action.   Objections   to
adjudication   of   the   disputes   between   the
parties, on whatever ground are in truth not
aids to the progress of the suit but hurdles
to   such   progress.   Adjudication   of   such
objections   cannot   be   termed   as   adjudication
of the merits of the controversy in the suit.
As we said earlier, a broad view has to be
taken of the principles involved and narrow
and   technical   interpretation   which   tends   to
defeat the object of the legislation must be
avoided." 
142. In  Rajeshwar Prasad Mishra v. The State
of   West,   Bengal,   AIR   1965   SC   1887,   it   was
held: 
"Article 141 empowers the Supreme Court
to  declare the  law and  enact  it. Hence the
observation of the Supreme Court should not
be read as statutory enactments. It is also
well known that ratio of a decision is the
reasons assigned therein."
(See also   Amar Nath Om Prakash and Ors. v.
State   of   Punjab [1985]   1   SCC   345   and   Hameed
Joharan v. Abdul Salam,  2001 (7) SCC 573).
143. It will not, therefore, be correct
to   contend,   as   has   been   contended   by   Mr.
Nariman, that answers to the questions would
be  the ratio to a judgment. The answers to
the   questions   are   merely   conclusions.   They
have to be interpreted, in a case of doubt or
dispute with the reasons assigned in support

27
thereof   in   the   body   of   the   judgment,   where
for, it would be essential to read the other
paragraphs of the judgment also. It is also
permissible for this purpose (albeit only in
certain cases and if there exist strong and
cogent reasons) to look to the pleadings of
the parties.
144. In  Keshav Chandra Joshi  v. Union of
India, 1992 Supp (1) SCC 272 , this Court when
faced   with   difficulties   where   specific
guidelines   had   been   laid   down   for
determination of seniority in  Direct Recruits
Class II Engineering Officers' Association v.
State of Maharashtra , (1990) 2 SCC 715, held
that   the   conclusions   have   to   be   read   along
with the discussions and the reasons given in
the body of the judgment.
145. It is further trite that a decision
is an authority for what it decides and not
what can be logically deduced therefrom. [See
Union of India v. Chajju Ram, (2003) 5 SCC
568.
146. The judgment of this Court in  T.M.A.
Pai   Foundations,   (2002)   8   SCC   481,   will,
therefore,   have   to   be   construed   or   to   be
interpreted on the aforementioned principles,
The   Court   cannot   read   some   sentences   from
here   and   there   to   find   out   the   intent   and
purport   of   the   decision   by   not   only
considering   what   has   been   said   therein   but
the text  and context  in which it was  said.
For   the   said   purpose   the   Court   may   also
consider   the   constitutional   or   relevant,
statutory   provisions   vis­a­vis   its   earlier
decisions on which reliance has been placed.”
26. Justice Arijit Pasayat, J. speaking for the Court in
Commissioner  of  Central   Excise,   Delhi   vs.   Allied  Air­
conditioning Corporation (Regd.), (2006) 7 SCC 735,  held

28
that the judgment should be understood in the light of
facts of the case and no more should be read into it
than what it actually says. In paragraph 8 following has
been laid down:
“8.....A judgment should be understood in
the light of facts of the case and no more
should be read into it than what it actually
says. It is neither desirable nor permissible
to   pick   out   a   word   or   a   sentence   from   the
judgment   divorced   from   the   context   of   the
question under consideration and treat it to
be   complete   law   decided   by   this   Court.   The
judgment   must   be   read   as   a   whole   and   the
observations   from   the   judgment   have   to   be
considered   in   the   light   of   the   questions
which   were   before   this   Court.   (See   Mehboob
Dawood   Shaikh   v.   State   of   Maharashtra   ,
(2004) 2 SCC 362.....”
27. In the light of the above principles, we now revert
back   to   the   Constitution   Bench   judgment   in     Ismail
Faruqui.  We need to notice   the issues which had come up
for   consideration   before   the   Constitution   Bench,   the
ratio of the judgment and the context of observations.
We   have   noticed   above   that   the   Constitution   Bench   in
Ismail Faruqui case   decided five transferred cases, two
writ   petitions   filed   under   Article   32   and   Special
Reference No.1 of 1993. The Special Reference No.1 of
1993 made by the President of India under Article 143

29
was   respectfully   declined   to   be   answered   by   the
Constitution Bench. The challenge in the writ petitions
under Article 32 and transferred cases was to the Act,
1993.   The   Act,   1993   was   enacted   to   provide   for   the
acquisition of certain area at Ayodhya and for matters
connected therewith or incidental thereto. Section 2(a)
defines the area as:
“2(a)   “area”   means   the   area   (including
all   the   buildings,   structures   or   other
properties   comprised   therein)   specified   in
the Schedule;
28. The Schedule of the Act contained the description of
the area acquired. Apart from the other plots Revenue
Plot Nos.159 and 160  situated in village Kot Ramchandra
wherein   structure   commonly   known   as   Ram   Janam   Bhumi­
Babri   Masjid   was   situated   was   also   included.   Several
other   plots   including   all   the   building   structure   on
other properties comprised therein were acquired. 
29. The validity of Act, 1993 was challenged on several
grounds. The ground for challenge has been noticed in
paragraph 17 of the judgment which is to the following
effect:
“17.   Broadly   stated,   the   focus   of
challenge to the statute as a whole is on the

30
grounds of secularism, right to equality and
right   to   freedom   of   religion.   Challenge   to
the acquisition of the area in excess of the
disputed   area   is   in   addition   on   the   ground
that   the   acquisition   was   unnecessary   being
unrelated   to   the   dispute   pertaining   to   the
small   disputed   area   within   it.   A   larger
argument   advanced   on   behalf   of   some   of   the
parties   who   have   assailed   the   Act   with
considerable vehemence is that a mosque being
a place of religious worship by the Muslims,
independently of whether the acquisition did
affect   the   right   to   practice   religion,   is
wholly   immune   from   the   State's   power   of
acquisition   and   the   statute   is,   therefore,
unconstitutional as violative of Articles 25
and 26 of the Constitution of India for this
reason   alone.   The   others, however,   limited
this   argument   of   immunity from   acquisition
only   to   places   of   special   significance,
forming an essential and integral part of the
right   to   practice   the   religion,   the
acquisition   of   which   would   result   in   the
extinction   of   the   right   to   freedom   of
religion itself. It was also contended that
the   purpose   of   acquisition   in   the   present
case   does   not   bring   the   statute   within   the
ambit of Entry 42, List III but is referable
to   Entry   1,   List   II   and,   therefore,   the
Parliament   did   not   have   the   competence   to
enact the same. It was then urged by learned
Counsel   canvassing   the   Muslim   interest   that
the legislation is tilted heavily in favour
of   the   Hindu   interests   and,   therefore,
suffers from the vice of non­secularism, and
discrimination in   addition   to   violation   of
the   right   to   freedom   of   religion   of   the
Muslim community.....”
30. The   challenge   to   the   acquisition   of   the   area   in
excess of area which is disputed area was on the ground

31
that same was unnecessary, hence, ought to be declared
invalid.   The   challenge   to   excess   area   was   laid   by
members of the Hindu community to whom the said plots
belonged.   One   of   the   grounds   of   attack   was   based   on
secularism. It was contended that Act read as a whole is
anti­secular and against the Muslim community. A mosque
has immunity from State's power of acquisition. It was
contended   on   behalf   of   the   Muslim   community   that   the
defences   open   to   the   minority   community   in   the   suits
filed by other side including that of adverse possession
for over 400 years since 1528 AD when the Mosque was
constructed have been extinguished by the acquisition.
The suits have been abated without the substitution of
an alternate dispute resolution mechanism to which they
are entitled in the Constitutional scheme. 
31. The Constitution Bench held that acquisition of the
properties under the Act affects the rights of both the
communities   and   not   merely   those   of   the   Muslim
community. In paragraph 49 following has been noticed:
“49.   The   narration   of   facts   indicates
that the acquisition of properties under the
Act   affects   the   rights   of   both   the
communities   and   not   merely   those   of   the
Muslim community. The interest claimed by the
Muslims is only over the disputed site where

32
the mosque stood before its demolition. The
objection of the Hindus to this claim has to
be adjudicated. The remaining entire property
acquired under the Act is such over which no
title is claimed by the Muslims. A large part
thereof comprises of properties of Hindus of
which the title is not even in dispute.... ”
32. This Court also noticed that Ayodhya is said to be
of particular significance to the Hindus as a place of
pilgrimage because of the ancient belief that Lord Rama
was   born   there.   The   Court   also   noticed   that   equally
mosque was of significance for the Muslim community as
an   ancient   mosque   built   by   Mir   Baqi   in   1528   AD.   In
paragraph 51 of the judgment following has been noticed:
“51. It may also be mentioned that even
as   Ayodhya   is   said   to   be   of   particular
significance   to   the   Hindus   as   a   place   of
pilgrimage because of the ancient belief that
Lord Rama was born there, the mosque was of
significance for the Muslim community as an
ancient mosque built by Mir Baqi in 1528 A.D.
As   a   mosque,   it   was   a   religious   place   of
worship   by   the   Muslims.   This   indicates   the
comparative significance of the disputed site
to   the   two communities   and   also   that   the
impact of acquisition is equally on the right
and interest of the Hindu community. Mention
of this aspect is made only in the context of
the argument that the statute as a whole, not
merely   Section   7   thereof,   is   anti­secular
being   slanted   in   favour   of   the   Hindus   and
against the Muslims.” 
33. As   noted   above,   one   of   the   principal   submission

33
which   was   raised   by   the   petitioners   before   the
Constitution   Bench   was   that   mosque   cannot   be   acquired
because of a special status in the Mohammedan Law.  The
Constitution Bench in  Ismail Faruqui case  by a separate
heading   “MOSQUE   –   IMMUNITY   FROM   ACQUISITION”   from
paragraphs 65 to 82 considered the above ground. 
34. The discussion from paragraphs 65 to 82 as per above
heading   indicates   that   the   discussion   and   all
observations   were   in   the   context   of   immunity   from
acquisition of a mosque. In paragraph 65 of the judgment
a larger question was raised at the hearing that there
is   no   power   in   the   State   to   acquire   any   mosque,
irrespective   of   its   significance   to   practice   of   the
religion of Islam. The Court after noticing the above
observation has observed that the proposition advanced
does   appear   to   be   too   broad   for   acceptance.   We   re­
produce paragraph 65 which is to the following effect:
“65.   A   larger   question   raised   at   the
hearing   was   that   there   is   no   power   in   the
State to acquire any mosque, irrespective of
its significance to practice of the religion
of Islam. The argument is that a mosque, even
if it is of no particular significance to the
practice   of   religion   of   Islam,   cannot   be
acquired because of the special status of a
mosque   in   Mahomedan   Law.   This   argument   was
not   confined   to   a   mosque   of   particular

34
significance without which right to practice
the   religion   is   not   conceivable   because   it
may   form   an   essential   and   integral   part   of
the practice  of Islam. In the view  that we
have taken of limited vesting in the Central
Government   as   a   statutory   receiver   of   the
disputed area in which the mosque stood, for
the purpose of handing it over to the party
found   entitled   to   it,   and   requiring   it   to
maintain status quo therein till then, this
question   may   not   be   of   any   practical
significance   since   there   is   no   absolute
divesting of the true owner of that property.
We may observe that the proposition advanced
does   appear   to   us   to   be   too   broad   for
acceptance inasmuch as it would restrict the
sovereign   power   of   acquisition   even   where
such   acquisition   is   essential   for   an
undoubted   national   purpose,   if   the   mosque
happens   to   be   located   in   the   property
acquired   as   an   ordinary   place   of   worship
without any particular significance attached
to   it   for   the   practice   of   Islam   as   a
religion. It would also lead to the strange
result that in secular India there would be
discrimination   against   the   religions,   other
than   Islam.   In   view   of   the   vehemence   with
which   this   argument   was   advanced   by   Dr.
Rajeev   Dhavan   and   Shri   Abdul   Mannan   to
contend that the acquisition is invalid for
this reason alone, it is necessary for us to
decide this question. ”
35. Although in paragraph 65 the Court observed that the
proposition is too broad for acceptance but in view of
the vehemence with which argument of the learned counsel
appearing   for   the   petitioners   was   put   the   Court
proceeded to decide the issue.

35
36. The contention   before the Constitution Bench was
also   that   acquisition   of   a   mosque   violates   the   right
given under Articles 25 and 26 of the Constitution of
India.   After   noticing   the   law   in   the   British   India,
prior   to   1950,   and   the law   after   enforcement   of   the
Constitution,   the   Constitution   Bench   came   to   the
conclusion   that   places   of   religious   worship   like
mosques,   churches,   temples   etc.   can   be   acquired   under
the   State's   sovereign   power   of   acquisition.   Such
acquisition per se does not violates either Article 25
or Article 26 of the Constitution. After noticing the
various decisions following was laid down in paragraph
74:
“74.It   appears   from   various   decisions
rendered by this Court, referred later, that
subject to the protection under Articles 25
and   26   of   the   Constitution,   places   of
religious   worship   like   mosques,   churches,
temples   etc.   can   be   acquired   under   the
State's sovereign power of acquisition. Such
acquisition   per   se   does   not   violate   either
Article 25 or Article 26 of the Constitution.
The decisions relating to taking over of the
management have no bearing on the sovereign
power of the State to acquire property. ”
37. The Constitution Bench further held that the right
to practice, profess and propagate religion guaranteed

36
under   Article   25   of   the   Constitution   does   not
necessarily   include   the   right   to   acquire   or   own   or
possess property. Similarly, this right does not extend
to   the   right   of   worship   at   any   and   every   place   of
worship.   Further,   it   was   held   that   protection   under
Articles 25 and 26 of the Constitution is to religious
practice which forms an essential and integral part of
the religion. In paragraphs 77 and 78 following has been
held:
“77. It may be noticed that Article 25
does   not   contain   any   reference   to   property
unlike   Article   26   of   the   Constitution.   The
right   to   practice,   profess   and   propagate
religion guaranteed under Article 25 of the
Constitution does not necessarily include the
right to acquire or own or possess property.
Similarly this right does not extend to the
right of  worship at any and every place of
worship so that any hindrance to worship at a
particular   place   per   se   may   infringe   the
religious   freedom   guaranteed   under   Articles
25 and 26 of the Constitution. The protection
under Articles 25 and 26 of the Constitution
is   to   religious   practice   which   forms   an
essential and integral part of the religion.
A   practice   may   be   a   religious   practice   but
not   an   essential   and   integral   part   of
practice of that religion. 
78. While offer of prayer or worship is a
religious   practice,   its   offering   at   every
location   where   such   prayers   can   be   offered
would not be an essential or integral part of
such religious practice unless the place has
a   particular   significance   for   that   religion

37
so as to form an essential or integral part
thereof.   Places   of   worship   of   any   religion
having   particular   significance   for   that
religion, to make it an essential or integral
part   of   the   religion,   stand   on   a   different
footing   and   have   to   be   treated   differently
and more reverentially. ”
38. With   the   above   observation   the   Constitution   Bench
held   that   offer   of   prayer   or   worship   is   a   religious
practice, its offering at every location would not be an
essential   or   integral   part   of   such   religious   practice
unless the place has a particular significance for that
religion   so   as   to   form   an   essential   or   integral   part
thereof. Places   of   worship   of   any   religion   having
particular significance for that religion, to make it an
essential or integral part of the religion, stand on a
different footing and have to be treated differently and
more reverentially. 
39. From   what   we   have   noticed   above   following   are
deducible:
(i) Places   of   religious   worship   like   mosques,
churches, temples, etc. can be acquired under
the   State's   sovereign   power   of   acquisition,
which does not violate Articles 25 or 26 of the
Constitution.

38
(ii) The   right   to   practice,   profess   and   propagate
religion guaranteed under Article 25 does not
extend to the right of worship at any and every
place   of   worship   so   that   any   hindrance   to
worship   at   a   particular   place   per   se   may
infringe the religious freedom guaranteed under
Articles 25 and 26 of the Constitution.
(iii)The protection under Articles 25 and 26 of the
Constitution   is   to   religious   practice   which
forms   an   essential   or   integral   part   of   the
religion.
(iv) A practice may be a religious practice but not
an essential and integral part of practice of
that religion.
(v) While offer of prayer or worship is a religious
practice, its offering at every location where
such   prayers   can   be   offered   would   not   be   an
essential   or   integral   part   of   such   religious
practice   unless   the   place   has   a   particular
significance for that religion so as to form an
essential or integral part thereof.
The Court itself has drawn a distinction with regard

39
to   the   place   of   a   particular   significance   for   that
religion   where   offer   of   prayer   or   worship   may   be   an
essential or integral part of the religion.
40. The Court held that the mosques were subject to the
provisions   of   statute   of   limitation   thereby
extinguishing the right of Muslims to offer prayers in a
particular mosque. In paragraph 80 following was held:
“80. It has been contended that a mosque
enjoys   a   particular   position   in   Muslim   Law
and once a mosque is established and prayers
are   offered   in   such   a   mosque,   the   same
remains for all time  to come  a  property of
Allah and the same never reverts back to the
donor or founder of the mosque and any person
professing Islamic faith can offer prayer in
such a mosque and even  if the structure is
demolished, the place remains the same where
the   Namaz   can   be   offered.   As   indicated
hereinbefore,   in   British   India,   no   such
protection   was   given   to   a   mosque   and   the
mosque   was   subjected   to   the   provisions   of
statute of limitation there by extinguishing
the right of Muslims  to offer prayers in  a
particular mosque lost by adverse possession
over that property.”
41. The Constitution Bench unequivocally laid down that
every immovable property be a temple, church or mosque
etc.   is   liable   to   be   acquired   and   a   mosque   does   not
enjoy any additional protection which is not available
to religious places of worship of other religions.

40
42. Now, we come to paragraph 82 of the judgment which
is   the   sheet   anchor   of   the   submission   raised   by   Dr.
Rajiv Dhavan. Serious objections have been raised by Dr.
Rajiv Dhavan to some observations made in paragraph 82.
Entire paragraph 82 is quoted below:
“82.   The   correct   position   may   be
summarised   thus.   Under   the   Mahomedan   Law
applicable in India, title to a mosque can be
lost   by   adverse   possession   (See   Mulla's
Principles of Mahomedan Law, 19th Edn. by M.
Hidaytullah   ­   Section   217;   and   AIR   1940   PC
116). If that is the position in law, there
can be no reason to hold that a mosque has a
unique or special status, higher than that of
the places of worship of other religions in
secular   India   to   make   it   immune   from
acquisition by exercise of the sovereign or
prerogative power of the State. A mosque is
not an essential part of the practice of the
religion   of   Islam   and   Namaz   (prayer)   by
Muslims   can   be   offered   anywhere,   even   in
open.   Accordingly,   its   acquisition   is   not
prohibited   by   the   provisions   in   the
Constitution   of   India.   Irrespective   of   the
status of a mosque in an Islamic country for
the purpose of immunity from acquisition by
the State in exercise of the sovereign power,
its status and immunity from acquisition in
the   secular   ethos   of   India   under   the
Constitution is the same and equal to that of
the places of worship of the other religions,
namely,   church,   temple   etc.   It   is   neither
more   nor   less   than   that   of   the   places   of
worship   of   the   other   religions.   Obviously,
the acquisition of any religious place is to
be   made   only   in   unusual   and   extraordinary
situations   for   a   larger   national   purpose
keeping in view that such acquisition should
not   result   in   extinction   of   the   right   to

41
practice the religion, if the significance of
that   place   be   such.   Subject   to   this
condition,   the   power   of   acquisition   is
available for a mosque like any other place
of   worship   of   any   religion.   The   right   to
worship   is   not   at   any   and   every   place,   so
long   as   it   can   be   practised   effectively,
unless the right to worship at a particular
place   is   itself   an   integral   part   of   that
right. ”
“ A mosque is not an essential part of the practice of
the religion of Islam and namaz(prayer) by Muslims can
be offered anywhere, even in open.”
43. Dr. Dhavan submits that above observation in Para 82
of the Constitution Bench judgment in   Ismail Faruqui ’s
case is the reason for reconsideration of the judgment.
He submits that the above statements in paragraph 82 are
wrong because it is wrong to say that 
(vi) A mosque is not essential to Islam.
(vii) The   essential   practices   doctrine   does   not
protect   places   of   worship   other   than   those
having particular significance.   
44. Elaborating   his   submission,   Dr.   Dhavan   relies   on
several   judgments   of   this   Court   where   what   are   the
essential practice of a religion had been elaborated and
how the Court should determine the essential practice of
a   religion   has   been   noticed.     The   submission   is   that

42
above observations were made by the Constitution Bench
on its  ipse dixit  without consideration of any material
due to which reason the statement is unsustainable. 
45. Before we proceed to examine the nature and content
of above statement, it is relevant to have an overview
of   the   law   laid   down   by   this   Court   with   regard   to
essential practices of a religion.  The  locus classicus
of the subject is Constitution Bench judgment of this
Court   in   Commissioner,   Hindu   Religious   Endowments,
Madras Vs. Sri Lakshmindra Thirtha Swamiar of Sri Shirur
Mutt, AIR 1954 SC 282.    The Mathadipati of Shirur Mutt
filed a writ petition in Madras High Court challenging
various   provisions   of   Madras   Hindu   Religious   and
Charitable Endowments Act, 1951.   Challenge to the Act
was   on   various   grounds   including   the   ground   that
provisions   of   the   Act   violate   the   fundamental   right
guaranteed under Articles 25 and 26 of the Constitution
of   India.     The   High   Court   had   struck   down   various
provisions of the Act against which appeal was filed by
the   Commissioner,   Hindu   Religious   Endowments,   Madras.
Justice   B.K.   Mukherjea   speaking   for the   Constitution
Bench held that it would not be correct to say that a

43
religion is nothing but a doctrine or belief.   It was
held that a religion may also lay down a code of ethical
rules for its followers and it might prescribe rituals
and observances, ceremonies and modes of worship which
are regarded as integral parts of religion.  In Para 17,
following was held:­
“17.....Religion   is   certainly   a   matter   of
faith with individuals or communities and it
is not necessarily theistic. There are well
known   religions   in   India   like   Buddhism   and
Jainism which do not believe in God or in any
Intelligent   First   Cause.   A   religion
undoubtedly   has   its   basis   in   a   system   of
beliefs   or   doctrines   which   are   regarded   by
those who profess that religion as conducive
to their spiritual well being, but it would
not   be   correct   to   say   that   religion   is
nothing   else   but   a   doctrine   or   belief.   A
religion   may   not   only   lay   down   a   code   of
ethical rules for its followers to accept, it
might   prescribe   rituals   and   observances,
ceremonies   and   modes   of   worship   which   are
regarded as integral parts of religion, and
these forms and observances might extend even
to matters of food and dress.”
46. Further, in Para 18, following was laid down:­
18.  The guarantee under our Constitution not
only   protects   the   freedom   of   religious
opinion   but   it   protects   also   acts   done   in
pursuance   of   a   religion   and   this   is   made
clear by the use of the expression “practice
of religion” in Article 25......”
47. The Court further held; what constitutes the

44
essential   part   of   a   religion   is   primarily   to   be
ascertained   with   reference   to   the   doctrines   of   that
religion itself.   In Para 19, following has been laid
down:­
“ 19.   The contention formulated in such broad
terms cannot, we think, be supported. In the
first   place,   what   constitutes   the   essential
part   of   a   religion   is   primarily   to   be
ascertained   with   reference   to   the   doctrines
of that religion itself. If the tenets of any
religious sect of the Hindus prescribe that
offerings of food should be given to the idol
at   particular   hours   of   the   day,   that
periodical ceremonies should be performed in
a certain way at certain periods of the year
or   that   there   should   be   daily   recital   of
sacred texts or oblations to the sacred fire,
all   these   would   be   regarded   as   parts   of
religion and the mere fact that they involve
expenditure of money or employment of priests
and   servants   or   the   use   of   marketable
commodities   would   not   make   them   secular
activities   partaking   of   a   commercial   or
economic character; all of them are religious
practices and should be regarded as matters
of   religion   within   the   meaning   of   Article
26(b). 
What   Article   25(2)(a)   contemplates   is   not
regulation   by   the   State   of   religious
practices   as   such,   the   freedom   of   which   is
guaranteed   by   the   Constitution   except   when
they run counter to public order, health and
morality   but   regulation   of   activities   which
are   economic,   commercial   or   political   in
their   character   though   they   are   associated
with religious practices......” 
48. Two other judgments were delivered in the same year,

45
which had relied and referred to Madras judgment.   In
Ratilal Panachand   Gandhi and Others Vs. State of Bombay
and Others, AIR 1954 SC 388 , in paragraph Nos. 10 and 13
following was held:­
“ 10.     Article   25   of   the   Constitution
guarantees to every person and not merely to
the   citizens   of   India,   the   freedom   of
conscience and the right freely to profess,
practise   and   propagate   religion.   This   is
subject,   in   every   case,   to   public   order,
health   and   morality.   Further   exceptions   are
engrafted   upon   this   right   by   clause   (2)   of
the   article.   Sub­clause   (a)   of   clause   (2)
saves   the   power   of   the   State   to   make   laws
regulating   or   restricting   any   economic,
financial,   political   or   other   secular
activity   which   may   be   associated   with
religious   practice;   and   sub­clause   (b)
reserves   the   State’s   power   to   make   laws
providing   for   social   reform   and   social
welfare even though they might interfere with
religious practices. 
Thus, subject to the restrictions which
this   article   imposes,   every   person   has   a
fundamental right under our Constitution not
merely to entertain such religious belief as
may   be   approved   of   by   his   judgment   or
conscience   but   to   exhibit   his   belief   and
ideas in such overt acts as are enjoined or
sanctioned   by   his   religion   and   further   to
propagate   his   religious   views   for   the
edification of others.....
13.   Religious   practices   or   performances   of
acts in pursuance of religious belief are as
much a part of religion as faith or belief in
particular doctrines. Thus if the tenets of
the Jain or the Parsi religion lay down that

46
certain   rites   and   ceremonies   are   to   be
performed   at   certain   times   and   in   a
particular   manner,   it   cannot   be   said   that
these   are   secular   activities   partaking   of
commercial   or   economic   character   simply
because they involve expenditure of money or
employment   of   priests   or   the   use   of
marketable commodities. No outside authority
has   any   right   to   say   that   these   are   not
essential   parts   of   religion   and   it   is   not
open to the secular authority of the State to
restrict or prohibit them in any manner they
like   under   the   guise   of   administering   the
trust estate.....” 
49. Another   judgment,   which   followed   the   Shirur   Mutt
case was  Sri Jagannath Ramanuj Das and Another Vs. State
.  The Constitution
of Orissa and Another, AIR 1954 SC 400
Bench in   Sri Venkataramana Devaru and Others Vs. State
of Mysore and Others, AIR 1958 SC 255   had occasion to
consider Articles 25 and 26 of the Constitution of India
in   context   of   Madras   Temple   Entry   Authorisation   Act,
1947 as amended in 1949.  Referring to  Shirur Mutt  case,
following was stated in para 16(3):­
“16(3)....Now, the precise connotation of the
expression "matters of religion" came up for
consideration   by   this   Court   in   The
Commissioner,   Hindu   Religious   Endowments,
Madras v. Sri Lakshmindra Thirtha Swamiar of
Sri Shirur Mutt (AIR 1954 SC 282), and it was
held   therein   that   it   embraced   not   merely
matters of doctrine and belief pertaining to
the religion but also the practice of it, or
to   put   it   in   terms   of   Hindu   theology,   not

47
merely its Gnana but also its Bakti and Karma
Kandas....”
 
50. Another judgment, which needs to be noticed is  Mohd.
Hanif Quareshi and Others Vs. State of Bihar, AIR 1958
SC   731 .     A   writ   petition   under   Article   32   was   filed
questioning the validity of three legislative enactments
banning the slaughter of certain animals passed by the
States   of   Bihar,   Uttar   Pradesh   and   Madhya   Pradesh
respectively.   One   of   the   submissions   raised   by   the
petitioner   was   that   banning   of   slaughter   of   cows
infringes fundamental right of petitioner to sacrifice
the cow on Bakra­Id.  The Court proceeded to dwell with
essential   practice   of   the   religion   of   Islam   in   above
context.  The Court examined the material placed before
it   for   determining   the   essential   practice   of   the
religion   and   made   following   observations   in   paragraph
13:­
“What   then,   we   inquire,   are   the   materials
placed   before   us   to   substantiate   the   claim
that the  sacrifice  of a cow is  enjoined or
sanctioned by Islam? The materials before us
are   extremely   meagre   and   it   is   surprising
that   on   a   matter   of   this   description   the
allegations   in   the   petition   should   be   so
vague. In the Bihar Petition No. 58 of 1956
are set out the following bald allegations:
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

48
We have, however, no material on the record
before us which will enable us to say, in the
face   of   the   foregoing   facts,   that the
sacrifice   of   a   cow   on   that   day   is   an
obligatory   overt   act   for   a   Mussalman   to
exhibit his religious belief and idea. In the
premises, it is not possible for us to uphold
this claim of the petitioners.”
51. Next case to be considered is   Sardar Syedna Taher
Saifuddin Saheb Vs. State of Bombay, AIR 1962 SC 853.
The issue raised before this Court in the above case was
regarding   validity   of   law   interfering   with   right   of
religious   denomination   to   excommunicate   its   members.
Articles 25 and 26   came to be considered in the above
context.  In paragraph 34 of the judgment, referring to
earlier   decisions   of   this   Court,   main   principles
underlying have been noticed, which is to the following
effect:­  
“ 34.  The content of Articles 25 and 26 of the
Constitution came up for consideration before
this Court in 1954 SCR 1005 : (AIR 1954 S.C.
282);   Ramanuj   Das   v.   State   of   Orissa,   1954
SCR 1046 : (AIR 1954 SC 400); 1958 SCR 895 :
(AIR 1958 S.C. 255); (Civil Appeal No. 272 of
1969 D/­17­3­1961 : (AIR 1961 S.C. 1402) and
several other cases and the main principles
underlying   these   provisions   have   by   these
decisions been placed beyond controversy. The
first   is   that   the   protection   of   these
articles is not limited to matters of

49
doctrine or belief, they extend also to acts
done in pursuance of religion and therefore
contain   a   guarantee   for   rituals   and
observances, ceremonies and modes of worship
which   are   integral   parts   of   religion.   The
second is that what constitutes an essential
part of a religion or religious practice has
to be decided by the courts with reference to
the   doctrine   of   a   particular   religion   and
include practices which are regarded by the
community as a part of its religion.”
52. Next judgment to be noticed is Constitution Bench
judgment   of   Tikayat   Shri   Govindlalji   Maharaj   etc.   Vs.
State of Rajasthan and Others, AIR 1963 SC 1638.     The
validity of Nathdwara Temple Act, 1959 was challenged in
the Rajasthan High Court.  It was contended by Tilkayat
that the idol of Shri Shrinathji in the Nathdwara Temple
and all the properties pertaining to it were his private
properties   and   hence,   the   State   Legislature   was   not
competent to pass the Act. It was also contended that if
the temple was held to be a public temple, then the Act
would be invalid because it contravened the fundamental
rights guaranteed to the denomination under Articles 25
and 26 of the Constitution.  Gajendragadkar, J. speaking
for   the   Court   in   Paragraphs   58   and   59   laid   down
following:­

50
“ 58.  In deciding the question as to whether a
given religious practice is an integral part
of the religion or not, the test always would
be   whether   it   is   regarded   as   such   by   the
community following the religion or not. This
formula   may   in   some   cases   present
difficulties in its operation. Take the case
of a practice in relation to food or dress.
If in a given proceeding, one section of the
community   claims   that   while   performing
certain rites white dress is an integral part
of   the   religion   itself,   whereas   another
section   contends   that   yellow   dress   and   not
the white dress is the essential part of the
religion,   how   is   the   Court   going   to   decide
the question? Similar disputes may arise in
regard   to   food.   In   cases   where   conflicting
evidence   is   produced   in   respect   of   rival
contentions   as   to   competing   religious
practices   the   Court   may   not   be   able   to
resolve the dispute by a blind application of
the formula that the community decides which
practice   in   an   intergral   part   of   its
religion,   because   the   community   may   speak
with   more   than   one   voice   and   the   formula
would,   therefore,   break   down.   This   question
will always have to be decided by the Court
and   in   doing   so,   the   Court   may   have   to
enquire whether the practice in question is
religious in character and if it is, whether
it   can   be   regarded   as   an   integral   or
essential   part   of   the   religion,   and   the
finding of the  Court  on such  an issue will
always   depend   upon   the   evidence   adduced
before   it   as   to   the   conscience   of   the
community and the tenets of its religion. It
is in the light of this possible complication
which may arise in some cases that this Court
struck   a   note   of   caution   in   the   case   of
Dungah Committee Ajmer v. Syed Hussain Ali &
Ors.18   and   observed   that   in   order   that   the
practices in question should be treated as a
part of religion they must be regarded by the
said religion as its essential and integral

51
part; otherwise even purely secular practices
which   are   not   an   essential   or   an   integral
part of religion are apt to be clothed with a
religious form and may make a claim for being
treated   as   religious   practices   within   the
meaning of Article 26.
59.   In this connection, it cannot be ignored
that what is protected under Articles 25(1)
and   26(b)   respectively   are   the   religious
practices and the right to manage affairs in
matters   of   religion.   If   the   practice   in
question   is   purely   secular   or   the   affair
which   is   controlled   by   the   statute   is
essentially   and   absolutely   secular   in
character,   it   cannot   be   urged   that   Article
25(1) or Article 26(b) has been contravened.
The   protection   is   given   to   the   practice   of
religion and to the denomination’s right to
manage   its   own   affairs   in   matters   of
religion. Therefore, whenever a claim is made
on behalf of an individual citizen that the
impugned statute contravenes his fundamental
right to practise religion or a claim is made
on   behalf   of   the   denomination   that   the
fundamental right guaranteed to it to manage
its   own   affairs   in   matters   of   religion   is
contravened,   it   is   necessary   to   consider
whether the practice in question is religious
or the affairs in respect of which the right
of   management   is   alleged   to   have   been
contravened   are   affairs   in   matters   of
religion.   If   the   practice   is   a   religious
practice   or   the   affairs   are   the   affairs   in
matter   of   religion,   then,   of   course,   the
right guaranteed by Article 25(1) and Article
26 (b) cannot be contravened.”
53. The above decisions of this Court clearly lay down
that   the   question   as   to   whether   particular   religious

52
practice is essential or integral part of the religion
is a question, which has to be considered by considering
the doctrine, tenets and beliefs of the religion.  What
Dr. Dhavan contends is that Constitution Bench in  Ismail
Faruqui ’s   case without there being any consideration of
essentiality   of   a   religion   have   made   the   questionable
observations in paragraph 82 as noticed above.  
54. We   have   to   examine   the   observations   made   in
paragraph 82 of the Constitution Bench judgment in the
light of the above submission, law and the precedents as
noticed above.  The statement “a mosque is not essential
part   of   the   practice   of   religion…..”   is   a   statement
which   has   been   made   by   the   Constitution   Bench   in
specific context and reference.  The context for making
the above observation was claim of immunity of a mosque
from acquisition.  Whether every mosque is the essential
part of the practice of religion of Islam, acquisition
of   which   ipso   facto   may   violate   the   rights   under
Articles 25 and 26, was the question which had cropped
up   for   consideration   before   the   Constitution   Bench.
Thus, the statement that a mosque is not an essential
part of the practice of religion of Islam is in context

53
of issue as to whether the mosque, which was acquired by
Act, 1993 had immunity from acquisition.    
55. The above observation by the Constitution Bench has
been made to emphasise that there is no immunity of the
mosque   from   the   acquisition.   We   have   noticed   that
Constitution Bench had held that while offer of prayer
or   worship   is   a   religious   practice,   its   offering   at
every location where such prayers can be offered would
not be an essential or integral part of such religious
practice unless the place has a particular significance
for that religion so as to form an essential or integral
part thereof. The above observation made in paragraph 78
has to be read along with observation made in paragraph
82.   What   Court   meant   was   that   unless   the   place   of
offering of prayer has a particular significance so that
any   hindrance   to   worship     may   violate   right   under
Articles 25 and 26, any hindrance to offering of prayer
at any place shall not affect right under Articles 25
and   26.   The   observation   as   made   in   paragraph   82   as
quoted   above   has   to   be   understood   with   the   further
observation made in the same paragraph where this Court
held:

54
“82....Obviously, the acquisition of any
religious place is to be made only in unusual
and   extraordinary   situations   for   a   larger
national   purpose   keeping   in   view   that   such
acquisition should not result in extinction of
the   right   to   practice   the   religion,   if   the
significance of that place be such. Subject to
this   condition,   the   power   of   acquisition   is
available for a mosque like any other place of
worship of any religion. The right to worship
is not at any and every place, so long as it
can be practised effectively, unless the right
to worship at a particular place is itself an
integral part of that right. ”
56. The Court held that if the place where offering of
namaz is a place of particular significance, acquisition
of   which   may   lead   to   the   extinction   of   the   right   to
practice   of   the   religion,   only in   that   condition   the
acquisition   is   not   permissible   and   subject   to   this
condition, the power of acquisition is available for a
mosque like any other place of worship of any religion.
Thus, observation made in paragraph 82 that mosque is
not an essential part of the practice of the religion of
Islam and namaz even in open can be made was made in
reference to the argument of the petitioners regarding
immunity of mosque from acquisition.
57. The   submission   which   was   pressed   before   the
Constitution   Bench   was   that   there   is   no   power   in   the

55
State   to   acquire   any   mosque,   irrespective   of   its
significance to practice of the religion of Islam. The
said contention has been noticed in paragraph 65 of the
judgment as extracted above.  
58. The sentence “A mosque is not essential part of the
practice of the religion of Islam and namaz(prayer) by
Muslims   can   be   offered   anywhere,   even   in   open”   is
followed   immediately   by   the   next   sentence   that   is
“Accordingly, its acquisition is not prohibited by the
provisions in the Constitution of India” which makes it
amply clear that the above sentence was confined to the
question of immunity from acquisition of a mosque which
was canvassed before the Court. First sentence cannot be
read divorced from the second sentence which immediately
followed the first sentence. 
59. No   arguments   having   been   raised   before   the
Constitution Bench that Ram Janam Bhumi­Babri Masjid is
a   mosque   of   a   particular   significance,   acquisition   of
which   shall   extinct   the   right   of   practice   of   the
religion, the Court had come to the conclusion that by
acquisition of mosque rights under Articles 25 and 26
are   not   infringed.     We   conclude   that   observations   as

56
made by the Constitution Bench in paragraphs 78 and 82
which   have   been   questioned   by   the   petitioners   were
observations made in reference to acquisition of place
of   worship   and   has   to   confine   to   the   issue   of
acquisition   of   place   of   worship   only.   The   observation
need not be read broadly to hold that a mosque can never
be an essential part of the practice of the religion of
Islam.
"Comparative significance” & “Particular significance” .
60. Dr. Rajiv Dhavan submits that the Constitution Bench
has   entered   into   the   comparative   significance   of   both
the places that is birth place of Ram for Hindus and Ram
Janam   Bhumi­Babri   Masjid   for   Muslims.   He   submits   that
India is a secular country and all religions have to be
treated equal and the Court by entering into comparative
significance   concept   has   lost   sight   of   the   secular
principles   which   are   embedded   in   the   Constitution   of
India. It is true that the Constitution Bench has used
phrase   “comparative   significance”   but   comparative
significance of both the communities were noticed only
to highlight the significance of place which is claimed
by both the parties and to emphasise that the impact of

57
acquisition is equally on the  right and interest of the
Hindu   community   as   well   as   Muslim   community.   In
paragraph 51 of the judgment following has been noticed:
“51. It may also be mentioned that even
as   Ayodhya   is   said   to   be   of   particular
significance   to   the   Hindus   as   a   place   of
pilgrimage because of the ancient belief that
Lord Rama was born there, the mosque was of
significance   for   the   Muslim   community   as   an
ancient mosque built by Mir Baqi in 1528 A.D.
As   a   mosque,   it   was   a   religious   place   of
worship   by   the   Muslims.   This   indicates   the
comparative significance of the disputed site
to   the   two   communities   and   also   that   the
impact of acquisition is equally on the right
and interest of the Hindu community. Mention
of this aspect is made only in the context of
the argument that the statute as a whole, not
merely   Section   7   thereof,   is   anti­secular
being   slanted   in   favour   of   the   Hindus   and
against the Muslims. ”
61. Dr. Dhavan has also taken exception to the phrase
'particular   significance'   as   is   occurring   in   the
Constitution   Bench   judgment.   He   submits   that   all
religions are equal and have to be equally respected by
all including the State. All mosques, all churches and
all temples are equally significant for the communities
practicing   and   professing   such   religions.   The   concept
that   some   places   are   of   particular   significance   is
itself faulty. We have bestowed our consideration to the

58
above aspect of the matter. We have already noticed that
the   Constitution   Bench   held   that   acquisition   is   a
sovereign or prerogative power of the State to acquire
property   and   all   religious   places,   namely,   church,
mosque,   temple   etc.   are   liable   to   be   acquired   in
exercise of right of eminent domain of the State. The
Constitution   Bench   also   observed   that   acquisition   of
place of religious worship like church, mosque etc. per
se does not violate rights under Articles 25 and 26. The
Court,   however,   has   noticed   one   fetter   on   such
acquisition.   The   Constitution   Bench   held   that   if   a
particular   place   is   of   such   significance   for   that
religion   that   worship   at   such   place   is   an   essential
religious practice and the extinction of such place may
breach   their   right   of   Article   25,   the   acquisition   of
such   place   is   not   permissible. A   place   of   particular
significance has been noticed by the Constitution Bench
in   the   above   context.   When   acquisition   of   such   place
results   in   extinction   of   the   right   to   practice   the
religion, there is violation of Article 25, which was an
exception   laid   by   the   Constitution   Bench   while   laying
down general proposition that acquisition of all places

59
of   worship   is   permissible.   Thus,   no   exception   can   be
taken to the Constitution Bench having used expression
'place   of   particular   significance'   for   carving   out   an
exception   to   the   general   power   of   acquisition   of   the
State of religious places like church, mosque and temple
or   gurudwara.   The   above   exception   carved   out   by   the
Constitution   Bench   is   to   protect   the   constitutional
right guaranteed under Article 25.
'Particular significance' of place of birth of Lord Rama
62. Dr.   Dhavan   has   taken  exception  to   observation   of
Constitution Bench, where, place of birth of Lord Rama,
has been held to be of particular significance.     He
submits   that   the   above   observation   was   uncalled   for
since   there   cannot   be   any   comparison   between   two
religions.   We   have   observed   above   that   phrase
“particular significance” was used by the Constitution
Bench only in context of immunity from acquisition. What
the   Court   held   was   that   if   a   religious   place   has   a
particular   significance,   the   acquisition   of   it   ipso
facto   violates the right of religion under Articles 25
and   26,   hence   the   said   place   of   worship   has   immunity
from acquisition.   It is another matter that the place

60
of birth of Lord Rama is referred as sacred place for
Hindu community, which has been pleaded throughout. In
any   view   of   the   matter   acquisition   under   Act,   1993
having   been   upheld,   the   use   of   expression   “particular
significance” has lost all its significance for decision
of the suits and the appeals.
RES­JUDICATA
63. Shri Parasaran submits that appellants are precluded
from   questioning   the   Ismail   Faruqui’s   judgment.   The
petitioner   in   Ismail   Faruqui’s   case   represented   the
right   of   the   Muslim   public,   hence,   all   persons
interested in such rights for the purposes of Section 11
be deemed to claim under the persons so litigating and
are barred by res­judicata in view of Explanation VI to
Section   11,   CPC.   He   further   submits   that   judgment   in
Ismail   Faruqui’s   case   is   part of   the   judgment   in   the
suit itself, in view of the fact that IA in suits were
transferred   and   decided   alongwith   petitions   under
Article 32. The appellants are thus clearly bound by the
judgment in  Ismail Faruqui’s case . 
64. Dr.   Dhavan   replying   the   submissions   of   Shri
Parasaran submits that  Ismail Faruqui’s case  was about a

61
challenge   to   the   Act,1993,   the   Presidential   reference
and further as to whether in the light of Act, 1993 the
suits abated due to Section 4(3) of the Act. The cases
under   appeal   are   from   suits   where   the   issues   are
entirely   different.   The   suits   having   never   been
transferred   to   be   decided   with   Ismail   Faruqui’s   case,
the decision rendered in  Ismail   Faruqui’s   case  cannot be
said to be part of the judgment in suits. He submits
that the issues which were raised in   Ismail   Faruqui’s
case   were   not   the   issues   which   are   directly   and
substantially in issue in the suits. He further   submits
that   res   judicata   is   not   attracted   in   the   present
proceedings.
65. The   principle   of   res   judicata   as   contained   in
Section   11   of   Civil   Procedure   Code   as   well   as   the
general principles are well settled by several judgments
of this Court. For applicability of the principle of  res
judicata   there   are   several   essential   conditions   which
need to be fulfilled. Shri Parasaran, in support of his
submission, states that the parties in  Ismail Faruqui’s
case   represented   the   interest   of   Muslim   community   and
those petitioners bonafidely litigated in respect of

62
public   rights,   hence,   all   persons   interested   in   such
rights   be   deemed   to   claim   under   the   person   so
lititgating attracting the applicability of Explanation
VI of Section 11, CPC. He placed reliance on judgment of
this   Court   in   Ahmed   Adam   Sait   &   others   versus
Inayathullah Mekhri & others, 1964 (2) SCR 647.   In the
above case, in suit under Section 92, CPC, a scheme had
already been framed by Court of Competent Jurisdiction.
Another   suit   was   instituted   under   Section   92   of   CPC
praying for settling a scheme for proper administration
of the Jumma Masjid. The plea of  res judicata  was urged.
Upholding the plea of   res judicata , following was laid
down:­
“...   In   assessing   the   validity   of   this
argument,   it   is   necessary   to   consider   the
basis of the decisions that a decree passed
in a suit under s.92 binds all parties. The
basis of this view is that a suit under s.92
is a representative suit and is brought with
the   necessary   sanction   required   by   it   on
behalf of all the beneficiaries interested in
the Trust. The said section authorises two or
more persons having an interest in the Trust
to file a suit for claiming one or more of
the reliefs specified in clauses (a) to (h)
of sub­section (1) after consent in writing
there   prescribed   has   been   obtained.   Thus,
when   a   suit   is   brought   under   s.92,   it   is
brought by two or more persons interested in
the Trust who have taken upon themselves the

63
responsibility   of   representing   all   the
beneficiaries of the Trust. In such a suit,
though   all   the   beneficiaries   may   not   be
expressly impleaded, the action is instituted
on their behalf and relief is claimed in a
representative   character.   This   position
immediately   attracts   the   provisions   of
explanation   VI   to   s.11   of   the   Code.
Explanation   VI   provides   that   where   persons
litigate   bona fide   in   respect   of   a   public
right or of a private right claimed in common
for   themselves   and   others,   all   persons
interested   in   such   right   shall,   for   the
purposes of this section, be deemed to claim
under the persons so litigating. It is clear
that s.11 read with its explanation VI leads
to the result that a decree passed in a suit
instituted by persons to which explanation VI
applies   will   bar   further   claims   by   persons
interested   in   the   same   right   in   respect   of
which   the   prior   suit   had   been   instituted.
Explanation VI thus illustrates one aspect of
constructive   res   judicata.   Where   a
representative suit is brought under s.92 and
a   decree   is   passed   in   such   a   suit,   law
assumes   that   all   persons   who   have   the   same
interest   as   the   plaintiffs   in   the
representative   suit   were   represented   by   the
said   plaintiffs   and,   therefore,   are
constructively   barred   by   res   judicata   from
reagitating   the   matters   directly   and
substantially   in   issue   in   the   said   earlier
suit.”
66. Learned Counsel for both the parties have referred
to   and   relied   on   Constitution   Bench   Judgment   of   this
Court   in   Gulabchand   Chhotalal   Parikh   versus   State   of
Gujarat, AIR 1965 SC 1153 . Whether a decision of High

64
Court on merits on certain matters after contest in a
writ   petition   under   Article   226   of   the   Constitution
operates as  res judicata  in regular suit with respect to
the   same   matter   between   the   same   party   was   the   issue
considered by this court. This Court after referring to
almost all relevant judgments on the subjects laid down
following in paragraphs 60 and 61:­
”60. As a result of the above discussion, we
are of opinion that the provisions of S.11,
C.P.C., are not exhaustive with respect to an
earlier   decision   operating   as   res   judicata
between the same parties on the same matter
in controversy in a subsequent regular suit
and   that   on   the   general   principle   of   res
judicata, any previous decision on a matter
in controversy, decided after full contest or
after   affording   fair   opportunity   to   the
parties   to   prove   their   case   by   a   Court
competent to decide it, will operate as res
judicata in a subsequent regular suit. It is
not   necessary   that   the   Court   deciding   the
matter   formerly   be   competent   to   decide   the
subsequent suit or that the former proceeding
and   the   subsequent   suit   have   the   same
subject­matter.   The   nature   of   the   former
proceeding is immaterial.
61. We do not see any good reason to preclude
such decisions on matters in controversy in
writ   proceedings   under   Arts.   226   and   32   of
the   Constitution   from   operating   as   res
judicata in subsequent regular suits on the
same matters in controversy between the same
parties   and   thus   to   give   limited   effect   to
the   principle   of   the   finality   of   decisions
after full contest. We therefore, hold that,
on the general principle of res judicata, the

65
decision of the High Court on a writ petition
under Art.226 on the merits on a matter after
contest   will   operate   as   res   judicata   in   a
subsequent   regular   suit   between   the   same
parties with respect to the same matter.”
67. In  Daryao and others versus State of U.P. & others ,
this   Court   held   that   on   general
AIR   1961   SC   1457,  
consideration   of   public   policy   there   seems   to   be   no
reason   by   which   the   rule   of   res   judicata   should   be
treated as not admissible or irrelevant in deciding writ
petition filed under Article 32. 
68. A Constitution Bench of this Court in  Sheodan Singh
versus   Daryao   Kunwar,   AIR   1966   SC   1332,   after
elaborately considering the principles underlined under
Section   11   of   the   CPC,   held   that   there   are   five
essential conditions which must be satisfied before plea
of   res judicata   can be pressed. In paragraph 9 of the
judgment, the conditions have been enumerated which are
to the following effect:­ 
”9.   A   plain   reading   of   S.11   shows   that   to
constitute   a   matter   res   judicata,   the
following   conditions   must   be   satisfied,
namely   ­(I)   The   matter   directly   and
substantially in issue in the subsequent suit
or issue must be the same matter which was
directly   and   substantially   in   issue   in   the

66
formar suit; (II) The former suit must have
been   a   suit   between   the   same   parties   or
between   parties   under   whom   they   or   any   of
them   claim;   (III)   The   parties   must   have
litigated under the same title in the former
suit; (IV) The court which decided the former
suit   must   be   a   Court   competent   to   try   the
subsequent   suit   or   the   suit   in   which   such
issue   is   subsequently   raised;   and   (V)   The
matter directly and substantially in issue in
the subsequent suit must have been heard and
finally   decided   by   the   Court   in   the   first
suit. Further Explanation I shows that it is
not the date on which the suit is decided, so
that even if a suit was filed later, it will
be   a   former   suit   if   it   has   been   decided
earlier. In order therefore that the decision
in the earlier two appeals dismissed by the
High Court operates as res judicata it will
have   to   be   seen   whether   all   the   five
conditions   mentioned   above   have   been
satisfied.”
69. One   of   the   submissions   put   on   forefront   by Dr.
Dhavan   is   that   issues   which   were   involved   in   Ismail
Faruqui’s   case   are   not   issues   which   are   directly   and
substantially involved in the suits giving rise to these
appeals, hence, the plea of  res judicata  should fail on
this ground alone. One of the conditions as enumerated
by   this   Court   in   Sheodan   Singh’s   case(supra)   is   that
“the   matter   directly   and   substantially   in   issue,   in
subsequent suit must have been heard and finally decided
by the Court in the first suit.” Dr. Dhavan elaborating

67
the principle of directly and substatially in issue has
relied on judgment of this court in  Sajjadanashin Sayed
vs. Musa Dadabhai Ummer, (2000) 3 SCC 350 . This Court
while   considering   the   condition   of   “directly   and
substantially in issue” in reference to Section 11 laid
down following principles in paragraph 12, 13 & 14:­ 
”12. It will be noticed that the words used
in   Section   11   CPC   are   “directly   and
substantially in issue”. If the matter was in
issue directly and substantially in a prior
litigation and decided against a party then
the   decision   would   be   res   judicata   in   a
subsequent   proceeding.   Judicial   decisions
have however held that if a matter was only
“collaterally   or   incidentally”   in   issue   and
decided in an earlier proceeding, the finding
therein would not ordinarily be res judicata
in   a   latter   proceeding   where   the   matter   is
directly and substantially in issue. 
13.   As   pointed   out   in   Halsbury’s   Law   of
th
England(Vol.16,   para  1538,  4   edition),  the
fundamental   rule   is   that   a   judgment   is   not
conclusive if any matter came collaterally in
question[R.v.knaptoft   Inhabitants;   Heptulla
Bros. v. Thakore WLR at p.297(PC)]; or if any
matter   was   incidentally   cognizable
[Sanders(otherwise   Saunders)v.   Sanders
(otherwise Saunders) All ER at p.771].
14. A collateral or incidental issue is one
that is ancillary to a direct and substantive
issue; the former is an auxillary issue and
the   latter   the   principal   issue.   The
expression “collaterally or incidentally” in
issue   implies   that   there   is   another   matter
which   is   “directly   and   substantially”   in
th
issue(Mulla’s   Civil   Procedure   Code,   15

68
edn.,p.104).
Difficulty in distinguishing whether a matter
was   directly   in   issue   or   collaterally   or
incidentally in issue and tests laid down in
various courts. 
70. In   Mahila   Bajrangi(dead)   through   Lrs.   versus
Badribai w/o Jagannath and another, (2003) 2 SCC 464,
above   principle   was   reiterated   in   following   words   in
paragraph 6 which is to the following effect:­
” 6. ....That apart, it is always the decision
on   an   issue   that   has   been   directly   and
substantially   in   issue   in   the   former   suit
between the same parties which has been heard
and   finally   decided   that   is   considered   to
operate   as   res   judicata   and   not   merely   any
finding   on   every   incident   or   collateral
question   to   arrive   at   such   a   decision   that
would constitute res judicata.”
71. The   impugned   judgment   has   also   categorically   held
that issues, which have been raised in the suits are not
the issues, which can be said to have been noticed and
adjudicated by this court in  Ismail Faruqui’s  case. The
High Court has clearly held that the authority of the
Superior   Court   laying   down   a   law   is   binding   on   the
courts below provided a matter has been decided by the
court.  In Para 4054, following has been held:­

69
“ 4054.     The mere fact that  some facts have
been   noticed   by   the   Government   of   India   in
White Paper and those facts have simply been
noticed by the Apex Court while referring to
the   facts   mentioned   in   the   White   Paper,   it
cannot   be   said   that   those   facts   can   be
construed   as   if   they   have   been   accepted   by
the   Apex   Court   to   be   correct   and   stand
adjudicated.   The   law   of   precedent   is   well
known.   The   authority   of   the   superior   Court
laying  down a law is binding  on the Courts
below provided a matter has been decided by
the Court. An issue can be considered to be
decided   by   a   superior   Court   when   it   was
raised, argued and decided and only then it
is a binding precedent for the other courts.”
72. We   have   noticed   above   that   the   issues   which   were
involved in  Ismail Faruqui’s case  were validity of Act,
1993. One of the issues which was taken up by   Ismail
Faruqui’s case  was as to whether by virtue of Section 4
sub­section (3) of Act, 1993 suits pending in Allahabad
High   Court   stands   abated.   The   Presidential   Reference
No.1   of   1993   was   also   heard   along   with   the   writ
petitions and transferred cases. The issues which have
been framed in the suits giving rise to these appeals
are different issues which cannot be said to be directly
and   substantially   in   issue   in   Ismail   Faruqui’s   case .
Non­fulfilment of this condition itself is sufficient to
reject   the   plea   of   res   judicata   as   raised   by   Shri

70
Parasaran. 
73. We may further notice submissions of Shri Parasaran
that IA which was filed in the suit was also taken up
along   with   the   Ismail   Faruqui’s   case,   hence,   the
judgment   rendered   in   Ismail   Faruqui’s   case   shall   be
treated to be the part of judgment in the suits which
preclude the appellant to reagitate the same issue. For
appreciating the above submissions we need to look into
as   to   what   matters   were   before   this   Court   in   Ismail
Faruqui’s case.
74. The Act, 1993 was preceded by an ordinance which was
issued   on   07.01.1993.   Section   4(3)   of   the   Ordinance
contemplated   that   suit,   appeal   or   other   proceeding   in
respect   of   right,   title   or   interest   having   to   any
property   vested   in   Central   Government   under   Section   3
shall abate. After the ordinance plaintiff had applied
for   amendment   of   plaints   challenging   the   legality   and
validity   of   the   Ordinance.   High   Court   in   the   suits
framed the issue namely “whether the suits have abated
or survive”. Many writ petitions were also filed in the
High   Court   challenging   the   Ordinance.  
Writ   Petition
No.208 of 1993, Mohd. Aslam versus Union of India & Ors.

71
was also filed under Article 32 in this Court. The Union
of India had filed transfer petitions under Article 139A
for   transferring   of   writ   petitions   filed   in   Allahabad
High Court. By an Order dated 24.09.1993 passed in  Union
of   India   &   Others   versus   Dr.   M.Ismail   Faruqui   and
others,   (1994)   1   SCC   265,   this   Court   allowed   the
transfer application transferring five writ petitions to
be heard alongwith the Presidential Reference and writ
petitions filed under Article 32. The preliminary issue
which was framed by the High Court in both the suits was
stayed. It is useful to extract paragraph 4 and 7 of the
order:­ 
“ 4.   After   the   issuance   of   the   Ordinance   it
appears that in the pending suits renumbered
O.O.S. Nos. 3 and 4 of 1989 the plaintiffs
applied   for   amendment   of   the   plaints
challenging the legality and validity of the
Ordinance by which the suits abated. The Full
Bench   of   the   High   Court   heard   the   said
applications and passed an order on March 15,
1993. By the said order the High Court framed
the question ‘whether the suit has abated or
survives’   and   since   the   said   issue
necessarily touched upon the validity of the
Ordinance,   the   Court   ordered   notice   to   the
Attorney   General   and   listed   the   case   for
hearing   of   the   issue   on   April   26,   1993.
Although this order was passed in Suit O.O.S.
No.   4   of   1989,   it   was   also   to   govern   the
amendment application in Suit O.O.S. No. 3 of
1989. It also appears that in the meantime as

72
many   as   five   Writ   Petition   Nos.   552,   925,
1351, 1532 and 1809 of 1993 came to be filed
in the High Court challenging the validity of
the   Ordinance,   now   the   Act.   Besides   these
proceedings in the High Court a Writ Petition
No. 208 of 1993 also came to be filed in this
Court   under   Article   32   of   the   Constitution
challenging the legality and validity of the
very same law.
7.   In the result, we allow this application
by ordering the withdrawal of the five Writ
Petition Nos. 552, 925, 1351, 1532 and 1809
of 1993 to this Court to be heard along with
the Presidential reference and Writ Petition
No. 208 of 1993 pending in this Court. The
hearing   of   the   preliminary   issue   framed   by
the High Court ‘whether the suit has abated
or   survives’   in   both   the   suits   will   stand
stayed   till   further   orders.   In   order   to
expedite the hearing we direct as under:”
75. From the above, it is clear that suits which were
pending in the High Court were never transferred to be
heard alongwith Presidential Reference and writ petition
filed under Article 32. This Court had only stayed the
hearing of preliminary issue framed by the High Court as
to whether the suits have abated or survive. It is also
relevant to notice that in Special Reference No. 1 of
1993, individual notices were issued to the parties to
the proceeding which stood abated by virtue of Section
4(3) of the Ordinance but mere issuance of notice when
the suits were not transferred by this Court to be heard

73
alongwith   Presidential   Reference   is   not   sufficient   to
conclude that the judgment of   Ismail Faruqui   should be
treated as part of judgment in suits. We, thus, also do
not   accept   the   submissions   of   Shri   Parasaran   that
judgment of Ismail Faruqui   is part of the judgment in
the suit itself. We, thus, do not find any substance in
the above submissions raised by Shri Parasaran.
Reliance on the judgment of Ismail Faruqui
76. Dr.   Dhavan   submits   that   Ismail   Faruqui’s   judgment
goes to the core of the issues in these appeals and it
permeates throughout the impugned judgment in the suits.
He   submits   that   observations   concerning   comparative
significance   of   the   disputed   site   and   the   observation
that a mosque is not an essential part of the practice
of the religion of Islam, have permeated the impugned
judgment as the Hindu parties have successfully claimed
that   the   disputed   site,   which   is   allegedly   the
birthplace of Lord Ram is protected by Articles 25 and
26.  Dr. Dhavan has referred to various observations of
the HIGH Court in the impugned judgment to support his
submission.     He   has   also   referred   to   various   grounds

74
taken in the appeals filed against the judgment of the
High Court.
77. Shri Parasaran and Shri Tushar Mehta refuting the
above submission contend that even if the judgment of
Ismail Faruqui  has been referred to in the submission of
the counsel for the parties before the High Court and
has been noticed in the impugned judgment, the impugned
judgment in no way is affected by the observations made
in  Ismail Faruqui’s  case.  
78. It is relevant to notice some of the observations
made   by   the   High   Court   in   the   impugned   judgment   and
certain grounds taken in some of the appeals, which are
before   us.   Justice   S.U.Khan   referring   to   Ismail
Faruqui’s   case   in   his   judgment   made   following
observations:­
“A mosque even if its construction remains
as a mosque cannot be treated to be mosque if
no prayers are offered in it and it is in the
possession, occupation and use of non­Muslims
as held by the Privy Council in Mosque known
as Masjid Shahid Ganj Vs. S.G.P.C. Amritsar,
AIR 1940 P.C. 116 approved in Dr. M. Ismail
Farooqi Vs. Union of India, 1994 (6) S.C.C.
360.   Accordingly,   unless   it   is   proved   that
prayers were being offered in the premises in
dispute,   or   the   Hindus   had   not   exclusively
possessed   the   constructed   portion   and   inner
court yard it cannot be held to be a mosque

75
or   a   continuing   mosque   uptil   22nd/   23rd
December,   1949.   The   case   set   up   and   the
argument   of   some   of   the   Hindu   parties   that
till 1855 no prayers (Namaz) were offered in
the   mosque   is   not   at   all   acceptable.   If   a
mosque   is   referred   to   as   mosque   in   several
gazetteers,   books   etc.   and   nothing   else   is
said then it means that it is a mosque in use
as such. A defunct mosque where prayers are
not   at   all   offered,   whenever   mentioned   as
mosque, is bound to be further qualified as
defunct   and   not   in   use.   If   construction   of
mosque could not be obstructed, how offering
of   prayer   in   it   could   be   obstructed.
Moreover,   there   was   absolutely   no   sense   in
dividing the premises in dispute by railing
in 1856 or 1857 if Muslims were not offering
Namaz in the constructed portion till then.
In   the   riot   of   1855   seventy   Muslims   were
killed while taking shelter in the premises
in   dispute.   After   such   a   huge   defeat   Namaz
could   not   be   for   the   first   time   started
thereat.” 
79. Justice   Sudhir   Agarwal   in   his   judgment   has   also
noticed   Ismail Faruqui’s   case.   Dr. Dhavan referred to
the   submissions   made   by   Shri   Ravi   Shankar   Prasad   in
Paras 3501 and 3502 of the impugned judgment:­
“ 3501.   Sri   Prasad   argued   that   belief   of
Hindus that Lord Ram as incarnation of Vishnu
having born at Ayodhya forms an integral part
of Hindu religion which cannot be denied to
be practised, observed and performed by them
and   refers   to   Commissioner   of   Police   and
others v. Acharya Jagadishwarananda Avadhuta
and another, (2004) 12 SCC 770 (para 9) and
Sri   Adi   Visheshwara   of   Kashi   Vishwanath
Temple,   Varanasi   (supra).   In   order   to   show

76
what   constitutes   public   order   under   Article
25   of   the   Constitution,   he   also   placed
reliance on Dalbir Singh and others v. State
of Punjab, AIR 1962 SC 1106 (para 8).
3502.   Next   he   submits   that   applying   the
doctrine   of   Eminent   Domain,   the   place   in
dispute,   having   special   significance   for
Hindus,   cannot   be   touched   at   all   either   by
any   particular   person   or   even   by   State   and
the provisions of even acquisition would not
apply   to   it   though   with   respect   to   the
alleged mosque, it has been already held and
observed by the Apex Court that the disputed
building   could   not   be   shown   to   be   of   any
special significance to Muslims. He refers to
Dr. M. Ismail Faruqui and others v. Union of
India and others, (1994) 6 SCC 360 (para 65,
72, 75 and 96); Acharya Maharajshri Narendra
Prasadji Anandprasadji Maharaj and others v.
State of Gujarat and others, (1975) 1 SCC 11.
The relief sought by the plaintiff (Suit­4)
is barred by Section 34 Specific Reliefs Act,
1963   and   reliance   is   placed   on   Executive
Committee of Vaish Degree College, Shamli and
others v. Lakshmi Narain and others, (1976) 2
SCC   58   (para   20   and   27);   American   Express
Bank Ltd. v. Calcutta Steel Co. and others,
(1993) 2 SCC 199 (pare 22).”
80. Justice Sudhir Agarwal has noticed  Ismail Faruqui’s
case in Para 2723 in following manner:­
“ 2723.  In   Ismail   Farooqui   (supra),
Supreme   Court   has   considered   the   plea   of
validity   of   acquisition   of   land   under   Land
Acquisition Act that once a waqf of mosque is
created, the property vests in almighty and
it always remain a waqf hence such a property
cannot   be   acquired.   While   negativing   this
plea,   the   Apex   Court   said   that   a   plea   in
regard to general religious purposes cannot

77
be said to be an integral part of religion
which   will   deprive   the   worshippers   of   the
right   of worship   at   any   other   place   and
therefore, such a property can be acquired by
the   State.   However,   the   position   would   be
otherwise   if   the   religious   property   would
have been of special significance and cannot
be one of several such kind of properties. It
will   be   useful   to   reproduce   the   relevant
observation in this regard:
“78.   lt   appears   from   various   decisions
rendered by this Court, referred later, that
subject to the protection under Articles 25
and   26   of   the   Constitution,   places   of
religious   worship   like   mosques,   churches,
temples   etc.   can   be   acquired   under   the
State’s sovereign power of acquisition. Such
acquisition   per   se   does   not   violate   either
Article 25 or Article 26 of the Constitution.
The decisions relating to taking over of the
management have no bearing on the sovereign
power of the State to acquire property.”
“82.   While   offer   of   prayer   or   worship   is   a
religious   practice,   its   offering   at   every
location   where   such   prayers   can   be   offered
would not be an essential or integral part of
such religious practice unless the place has a
particular significance for that  religion  so
as   to   form   an   essential   or   integral   part
thereof.   Places   of   worship   of   any   religion
having   particular   significance   for   that
religion, to make it an essential or integral
part   of   the   religion,   stand   on   a   different
footing and have to be treated differently and
more reverentially.”
81. There   are   references   of   judgments   of   Ismail
Faruqui’s   case in various other places in the judgment
of Justice Sudhir Agarwal like Para 5 in the judgment

78
where   it   has   been   observed   that   area   of   the   land   in
dispute, which is to be adjudicated by this Court (High
Court) is now restricted to what has been referred to in
Ismail Faruqui’s   case.   Para 5 of the judgment is as
follows:­
“5.    In  view   of  the   decision   of   the   Apex
Court in Dr. M. Ismail Faruqui etc. v. Union
of India and others, (1994) 6 SCC  360 : AIR
1995   SC   605,   the   area   of   land   in   dispute
which is to be adjudicated by this Court is
now restricted to what has been referred to
in para 4 above, i.e. main roofed structure,
the inner Courtyard and the outer Courtyard.
In fact, the area under the roofed structure
and   Sahan,   for   the   purpose   of   convenience
shall   be   referred   hereinafter   as   “inner
Courtyard” and rest as the “outer Courtyard”.
Broadly, the measurement of the disputed area
is about 130X80 sq. feet.”
82. Dr.   Dhavan,   in   his   written   submissions,   has
mentioned details of several other places, where Justice
Sudhir Agarwal has referred to  Ismail Faruqui’s  case in
the impugned judgment.   
83. Justice   Dharam   Veer   Sharma,   while   giving   a
dissenting   judgment   has   referred   to   submission   of
parties in  Ismail Faruqui’s  case at Paras 3038 and 3039
of   Volume   III,   following   observations   have   been   made

79
while considering the Issue No.19(d):­
“On behalf of defendants it is contended
that   the   building   in   question   was   not   a
mosque   under   the   Islamic   Law.     It   is   not
disputed that the structure has already been
demolished on 6.12.1992.  According to Dr. M.
Ismail Faruqui and others v. Union of India
and   others,   (1994)   6   SCC   360,   the   Hon’ble
Apex Court held at para 70 that the sacred
character   of   the   mosque   can   also   be   lost.
According   to   the   tenets   of   Islam,   minarets
are required to give Azan.  There cannot be a
public   place   of   worship   in   mosque   in   which
Provision of Azan is not available, hence the
disputed structure cannot be deemed to be a
mosque.”
84. Further, Justice Dharam Veer Sharma while noticing
submission of Shri H.S. Jain has observed as follows:­
“Shri H.S. Jain, advocate relied upon para
78 of  Ismail Faruqui’s  judgment to argue that
since birth place of Lord Ram was considered
as a place of worship which was integral part
of   religious   practice   of   Hindu   from   times
immemorial.   The deity stood on a different
footing and had to be treated reverentially.”
85. Justice Sharma has observed that, in para 78 of the
Ismail Faruqui’s  judgment, the Apex Court held that the
place of birth has a particular significance for Hindus
and should be treated on a different footing. At page
3455, following observations have been made by Justice
Sharma while referring to  Ismail Faruqui’s  case:­

80
“Hon'ble Apex Court upheld the validity of
provisions of Acquisition of Certain Area at
Ayodhya,   1993   in   Dr.   Ismail   Faruqui   case
(supra) and held that the Central Government
can acquire any place of worship. At para­78
Apex Court held that the place of birth has a
particular   significance   for   Hindus   and   it
should be treated on different footing, which
reads as under: 
“78. While offer of prayer or worship is a
religious   practice,   its   offering   at   every
location   where   such   prayers   can   be   offered
would not be an essential or integral part of
such religious practice unless the place has
a   particular   significance   for   that   religion
so as to form an essential or integral part
thereof.   Places   of   worship   of   any   religion
having   particular   significance   for   that
religion, to make it an essential or integral
part   of   the   religion,   stand   on   a   different
footing   and   have   to   be   treated   differently
and more reverentially.”
On behalf of Hindus it is urged that the
plaintiffs   are   not   entitled   for   the   relief
claimed and as such the relief is barred by
the provisions of Section 42 of the Specific
Relief Act, 1877 which is at par with Section
34   of   the   Specific   Relief   Act,1963   on   the
ground   that   they   have   superior   fundamental
rights. Contentions of Hindus are as under:
The Hindus have superior fundamental right
than the  Muslims under articles 25 & 26 of
the   Constitution   of   India   for   the   reasons
that   performing   customary   rituals   and
offering   services   worship   to   the   lord   of
universe   to   acquire   merit   and   to   get
salvation   as   such   it   is   integral   part   of
Hindu Dharma & religion in view whereof it is
humbly submitted that the instant suit is
liable to be dismissed with exemplary cost:”

81
86. Dr. Dhavan further submits that Justice Sharma has
relied on submissions advanced by Shri P.N. Mishra, who
had relied on paragraphs  77,  78,  80 and 82 of   Ismail
Faruqui’s   case.   Dr.   Dhavan   has   also   referred   to
submission   of   Shri   Ravi   Shankar   Prasad,   which   was
noticed by Justice Sharma that the right of Hindus to
worship at the Rama Janam Bhumi, continuing since times
immemorial was an integral part of their religious right
and   faith   and   was   also   sanctified   by   judicial   orders
since 1949.   This right has concretised and has to be
protected. 
87. Although Dr. Dhavan has referred to various passages
from impugned judgment, where reference has been made of
Ismail Faruqui’s  case but main paragraphs where findings
have been returned in reference to  Ismail Faruqui’s  case
are   Paragraphs   4049   to   4054   (Vol.   II)   of   judgment   of
Justice Sudhir Agarwal, as has been pointed out by Shri
Tushar Mehta, learned Additional Solicitor General.
88. Paragraphs   4049   and   4050   are   to   the   following
effect:­
“4049.   Some   of   the   learned   counsel   for   the

82
parties   sought   to   rely   on   the   Constitution
Bench   decision   in   Dr.   M.   Ismail   Faruqui
(supra)   by   reading   certain   passages   in   a
manner as if the Apex Court has expressed its
opinion   on   certain   aspects   which   are
contentious issues before this Court in the
suits   pending   before   us   and   said   that   the
said observations are binding on this Court
and,   therefore,   those   aspects   cannot   be
looked into.
4050.   Sri   Iyer,   Senior   Advocate   sought   to
read   the   aforesaid   judgement   where   the
contents   of   the   White   Paper   issued   by   the
Central   Government   quoted   to   suggest   that
these are the findings of the Government of
India   having   taken   note   by   the   Apex   Court
and,   therefore,   should   be   treated   to   be
concluded. It is suggested that the issues,
if any, in those matters should be deemed to
be   concluded   by   the   judgement   of   the   Apex
Court.”
89. The   above   submission   was   noted   and   expressly
rejected by the High Court in Paragraph 4051, which is
to the following effect:­
“ 4051.   We,   however,   find   no   force   in   the
submission. The Constitution Bench considered
the   validity   of   Ayodhya   Act,   1993   whereby
certain   land   at   Ayodhya   including   the   land
which   was   subject   matter   in   these   suits
sought   to   be   acquired   by   the   Government   of
India.   Further,   the   Apex   Court   was
considering the special reference made by the
th
President of India on 7  January, 1993 under
Article   143   of   the   Constitution   seeking
opinion   of   the   Apex   Court   on   the   following
question:   "Whether   a   Hindu   temple   or   any
Hindu   religious   structure   existing   prior   to
the   construction   of   Ram   Janma   Bhumi­Babari

83
Masjid (including the premises of the inner
and outer courtyard of said structure) in the
area on which the structure stood."
90. The High Court has clearly held that mentioning of
certain   facts   in   Ismail   Faruqui’s   case   does   not   mean
that those facts stood adjudicated by this Court for the
reason that those facts were neither in issue before the
Supreme Court  nor  had  been adjudicated.    The  relevant
discussion   in   the   above   context   is   contained   in
Paragraph 4053, which is to the following effect:­
“ 4053.     It is in this context that certain
facts place on record are mentioned therein
but it cannot be said that those facts stood
adjudicated by the Apex Court for the reason
that those facts neither were in issue before
the Court nor actually have been adjudicated.
The only one question which has specifically
been   considered   and   decided   that   was
necessary in the light of challenge thrown to
the power of acquisition of land over which a
mosque   existing.   It   appears   that   pro­mosque
parties   raised   a   contention   that   a   mosque
cannot be acquired because of special status
in   Mohammedan   Law   irrespective   of   its
significance to practice of the religion of
Islam.   This   argument   in   the   context   of
acquisition of land was considered from para
68   (AIR)   and   onwards   in   the   judgement.   The
Court has held that the right to worship of
Muslims in a mosque and Hindus in a temple
was   recognised   only   as   a   civil   right   in
British   India.   Relying   on   the   Full   Bench
decision of Lahore High Court in Mosque Known
as Masjid Shahid Ganj Vs. Shiromani Gurdwara
Prabandhak   Committee,   Amritsar,   AIR   1938

84
Lahore 369 where it was held that a mosque if
adversely   possessed   by   non   muslims   it   will
loose   its   sacred   character   as   mosque,   the
Apex Court held that, "the view that once a
consecrated mosque, it remains always a place
of worship as a mosque was not the Mahomedan
Law of India as approved by Indian Courts."
The   Lahore   High   Court   also   held   that,   "a
mosque in India was an immovable property and
the right of worship at a particular place is
lost when the right to property on which it
stands is lost by adverse possession." Both
these   views   were   approved   by   the   Privy
Council and the Apex Court followed the said
view.   Besides, independently also the Court
took the view that the sovereign power of the
State empowers it to acquire property. It is
a right inherent in every sovereign to take
an appropriate private property belonging to
individual   citizens   for   public   use.     This
right   is   described   as   eminent   domain   in
American   Law   and   is   like   the   power   of
taxation   of   offering   of   political   necessity
and is supposed to be based upon an implied
reservation   by   the   Government   that   private
property acquired by its citizens under its
protection   may   be   taken   or   its   use   can   be
controlled for public benefit irrespective of
the   wishes   of   the   owner.   The   Court   also
considered   the   right   of   worship   whether   a
fundamental right enshrined under Article 25
or   26   of   the   Constitution   and   observed,
"while   offer   of   prayer   or   worship   is   a
religious   practice,   its   offering   at   every
location   where   such   prayers   can   be   offered
would not be an essential or integral part of
such religious practice unless the place has
a   particular   significance   for   that   religion
so as to form an essential or integral part
thereof.   Places   of   worship   of   any   religion
having   particular   significance   for   that
religion, to make it an essential or integral
part   of   the   religion,   stand   on   a   different
footing   and   have   to   be   treated   differently

85
and more reverentially".   Ultimately the law
has been laid down by the Constitution Bench
by   majority   that   under   the   Mohammedan   Law
applicable in India title to a mosque can be
lost   by   adverse   possession.   If   that   is   the
position in law, there can  be no reason to
hold   that   a   mosque   as   a   unique   or   special
status,   higher   than   that   of   the   places   of
worship of other religions in secular India
to   make   it   immune   from   acquisition   by
exercise   of   the   sovereign   or   prerogative
power   of   the   State.   A   mosque   is   not   an
essential part of the practice of religion of
Islam   and   namaz   (prayer)   by   Muslims   can   be
offered anywhere even in open.  The Court also
held that unless the right to worship at a
particular place is itself an integral part
of   that   right,   i.e.,   the   place   is   of   a
particular   significance,   its   alienability
cannot   be doubted.   The   Apex   Court   having
answered   the   various   questions   on   the
validity   of   the   Act   1993   decline   to   answer
the reference and returned the same as such
as it is. The suits having been revived due
to striking down of Section 4(3) of the Act,
this Court trying the original suits has to
decide the entire matter on merits unless it
can be shown that a particular issue which is
engaging attention of this Court in trial of
the   original   suit   has   already   been   raised,
argued   and   decided   by   the   Apex   Court.   The
learned   counsels   for   the   parties   have   not
been able to show any such finding in respect
to the matters which are involved in various
issues before this Court and, therefore, we
are   not   in   agreement   with   the   counsels   for
the parties as argued otherwise.”
(underlined by us)
91. The High Court has clearly held that an issue can be
considered to be decided by a superior Court only when

86
it was raised, argued and decided.   Following was held
in Paragraph 4054:­
“ 4054.    The mere fact that  some facts have
been   noticed   by   the   Government   of   India   in
White Paper and those facts have simply been
noticed by the Apex Court while referring to
the   facts   mentioned   in   the   White   Paper,   it
cannot   be   said   that   those   facts   can   be
construed   as   if   they   have   been   accepted   by
the   Apex   Court   to   be   correct   and   stand
adjudicated.   The   law   of   precedence   is   well
known.   The   authority   of   the   superior   Court
laying  down a law is binding  on the Courts
below provided a matter has been decided by
the Court. An issue can be considered to be
decided   by   a   superior   Court   when   it   was
raised, argued and decided and only then it
is a binding precedent for the other courts.”
92. The   above   view   expressed   by   majority   judgment   in
appeal,   thus,   makes   it   clear   that   the   High   Court   has
held   that   judgment   of   Ismail   Faruqui's   case   does   not
decide any of the issues which are subject matter of the
suit.   Whatever   observations   have   been   made   in   the
judgment   of   Ismail   Faruqui   are   not   to   govern   the
decision in suits and the suits were to be decided on
the basis of the evidence on record.   The questionable
observations made in   Ismail  Faruqui's  case   have to be
treated as only observations and not for the purpose of
deciding   suits   and   these   appeals,   they   are   not   to   be

87
treated   as   governing   factor   or   relevant.     The   said
observations are to be understood solely as observation
made in context of land acquisition and nothing more.     
93. It is due to above finding of the High Court that in
several appeals filed against impugned judgment by the
plaintiff of Suit Nos.1 and 5 grounds have been taken
which grounds have been referred to and    relied by Dr.
Rajiv   Dhavan   in   his   submission   as   noted   above.   The
grounds taken in the appeal, to which exception is being
taken by Dr. Dhavan are:
(i) Partition   of   the   site   would   effectively
extinguish   the right  of  Hindus   to   worship   at
the site protected by Article 25 being a site
which is integral and essential part of Hindu
religion;
(ii) The purported Muslim structure on the area was
never   pleaded   to  be  an   essential  or  integral
part of the Islamic religion.
94. The   above   grounds   are   yet   to   be   looked   into   and
considered by this Court in these appeals.
95. We have already dealt with and noticed the extent
and   nature   of   the   observations   made   by   this   Court   in

88
Paragraphs   78   and   82   of   Ismail   Faruqui’s   case.   The
expression   “particular   significance”   and   “comparative
significance”   as   occurring   in   the   judgment   in  
Ismail
Faruqui’s   case has also been noted and explained by us
in foregoing paragraphs.  The observations of this Court
in   case has to be understood as above.
Ismail Faruqui’s
The   question   as   to   whether   in   the   impugned   judgment,
reliance on   Ismail Faruqui’s   case affects the ultimate
decision of the High Court and needs any clarification
or correction is a task, which we have to undertake with
the assistance of learned counsel for the parties in the
present appeals.   We,  thus, conclude  that reliance on
the judgment of  Ismail Faruqui  by the High Court in the
impugned   judgment   and   reliance   by   learned   counsel   for
the appellants and  taking  grounds  in  these  appeals on
the strength  of judgment  of   Ismail Faruqui’s   case are
all questions, on the merits of the appeals, which need
to   be   addressed   in   these   appeals.     Thus,   the   above
submission   does   not   help   the   appellant   in   contending
that   judgment   of   Ismail   Faruqui’s   case   needs
reconsideration.
Additional grounds for reference to larger Bench

89
96. Shri   Raju   Ramachandran,   learned   senior   counsel
appearing for some of the parties has pressed for the
reference to larger Bench for reconsideration of   Ismail
Faruqui’s  case on some additional grounds in addition to
what has been canvassed by Dr. Rajeev Dhavan. Shri Raju
Ramachandran submits that looking to the importance of
the   case   the   matter   should   be   referred   to   the
Constitution   Bench   for   reconsideration   of   Ismail
Faruqui’s   judgment.   He submits that there are various
instances, where this court had made reference to larger
Bench   looking   to   the   importance   of   the   matter.   He
submits that High Court vide its order dated 10.07.1989
had withdrawn the suits to be tried by the High Court by
Full Bench looking to the importance of the case.   The
case being very important and appeals having been filed
by all the sides, the case is of such magnitude that it
is appropriate that matter may be referred to a Bench of
a   larger   strength   to   consider   the   case.     Shri
Ramachandran   has   referred   to   and   relied   on   several
judgments   of   this   Court,   which   shall   be   noted   by   us
hereinafter.  
97.   The submission of Shri Raju Ramachandran has been

90
refuted by Shri K. Parasaran, learned senior counsel and
Shri C.S. Vaidyanathan.   They submit that if there are
constitutional   principles   involved,   the   matter   can   be
referred to a larger bench, but present is not a case
where any principle of constitutional interpretation is
involved, hence reference of the case to a larger bench
needs   to   be   refused.     Shri   Parasaran   submits   that
present appeals arise out of a suit where for deciding
the issues in a suit, the evidence is to be appreciated,
which need not be done by five judges. He submits that
five judges are to appreciate the evidence only in case
of Presidential Election.
98. Before we enter into submission of learned counsel
for the parties, the constitutional provision regarding
reference   of   a   case   for   hearing   by   the   Constitution
Bench consisting of five judges need to be looked into.
Article 145(3) of the Constitution provides that minimum
number of judges, who are to sit for purpose of deciding
any case involving a substantial question of law as to
the   interpretation   of   the   Constitution   or   for   the
purpose of hearing any reference under article 143 shall
be five.  The proviso to Article 145(3) provides:­

91
“Provided   that,   where   the   Court   hearing   an
appeal   under   any   of   the   provisions   of   this
Chapter   other   than   Article   132   consists   of
less than five  Judges and in  the course of
the   hearing   of   the   appeal   the   Court   is
satisfied   that   the   appeal   involves   a
substantial   question   of   law   as   to   the
interpretation   of   this   Constitution   the
determination of which is necessary for the
disposal   of   the   appeal,   such   Court   shall
refer   the   question   for   opinion   to   a   Court
constituted   as   required   by   this   clause   for
the   purpose   of   deciding   any   case   involving
such a question and shall on receipt of the
opinion dispose of the appeal in conformity
with such opinion”
99.   As per proviso, the reference to a bench of five
judges can be made by judges sitting in lesser strength
than five judges while hearing an appeal, on fulfilment
of following two conditions:­
(i) The   Court   is   satisfied that   the   appeal
involves a substantial question of law as to
the interpretation of this Constitution;
(ii) The   determination   of   which   is   necessary   for
the disposal of the appeal.          
100. The proviso to Article 145(3) as noted above, thus,
clearly   indicate   that   on   fulfilment   of   both   the
conditions as noticed above, a bench of smaller strength

92
than five judges can make a reference of a case to be
heard by a Bench strength of five judges.  This Court in
Abdul  Rahim Ismail C. Rahimtoola  Vs.  State  of Bombay,
AIR   1959   SC   1315   had   occasion   to   consider   Article
145(3).     In   the   above   case,   question   pertaining   to
Article 19(1)(d), (e) and sub­section (5) of Article 19
came for consideration.   A five Judge Bench in   Ebrahim
Vazir Mavat Vs. State of Bombay and others, AIR 1954 SC
229   had   already   held   that   requirement   that   an   Indian
citizen to produce a passport before entering into India
is a proper restriction upon entering India.  Before two
judge bench in  Abdul Rahim Ismail (supra) , challenge was
made to Rule 3 of Passport Rules, 1950, which provided
that no person, proceeding from any place outside India,
shall enter, or attempt to enter, India by water, land
or air unless he is in possession of a valid passport.
Contention raised was that Section 3 of the Act and Rule
3 of the Rules in so far as it purported to relate to an
Indian citizen is ultra vires the Constitution, as they
offended against the provisions of Articles 19(1)(d) and
(e).  This Court had held that issue having already been
decided by a five judges Bench no substantial question

93
of   law   as   to   the   interpretation   of   the   Constitution
arises.  In Para 6, following was held:­
“ 6.... It   was,   however,   urged   that   as   a
constitutional question has been raised this
matter cannot be decided by Judges less than
five in number. Therefore, the case should be
referred   to   what   is   described   as   the
Constitution   Bench.   Article   145(3)   of   the
Constitution   states   that   the   minimum   number
of Judges who are to sit for the purpose of
deciding   any   case   involving   a   substantial
question of law as to the interpretation of
the   Constitution   or   for   the   purpose   of
hearing any reference under Article 143 shall
be   five.   It   is   clear   that no   substantial
question of law as to the interpretation of
the Constitution arises in the present case
as the very question raised has been decided
by a Bench of this Court consisting of five
Judges. As the question raised before us has
been already decided by this Court it cannot
be said that any substantial question of law
arises   regarding   the   interpretation   of   the
Constitution.”
101. In   Bhagwan   Swarup   Lal   Bishan   Lal   Vs.   State   of
Maharashtra,   AIR   1965   SC   682 ,   this   Court   held   that   a
substantial question of interpretation of a provision of
the   Constitution   cannot   arise   when   the   law   on   the
subject has been finally and effectively decided by this
Court.  In Para 11, following has been laid down:­
“ 11.   .... Learned   counsel   suggests   that   the
question   raised   involves the   interpretation
of   a   provision   of   the   Constitution   and

94
therefore   the   appeal   of   this   accused   will
have to be referred to a Bench consisting of
not less than 5 Judges. Under Article 145(3)
of the Constitution only a case involving a
substantial   question   of   law   as   to   the
interpretation   of   the   Constitution   shall   be
heard by a bench comprising not less than 5
Judges. This Court held in State of Jammu and
Kashmir   v.   Thakur   Ganga   Singh,   AIR   1960   SC
356     that   a   substantial   question   of
interpretation   of   a   provision   of   the
Constitution cannot arise when the law on the
subject   has   been   finally   and   effectively
decided by this Court…………………
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
As   the   question   raised   has   already   been
decided by this Court, what remains is only
the application of the principle laid down to
the   facts   of   the   present   case.   We   cannot,
therefore,   hold   that   the   question   raised
involves a substantial question of law as to
the interpretation of the Constitution within
the   meaning   Article   145(3)   of   the
Constitution.”
102.   A   three   Judge   Bench   in   People’s   Union   for   Civil
Liberties   (PUCL)   and   Another   Vs.   Union   of   India   and
Another, (2003) 4 SCC 399  had also occasion to consider
Article 145(3).  Submission was made that a substantial
question   of   law   as   to   the   interpretation   of   the
Constitution   has   arisen,   hence,   the   matter   may   be
referred to a Bench consisting of Five Judges.   Three
Judge Bench notices that question raised having already

95
been   decided   in   Union   of   India   Vs.   Association   for
Democratic Reforms and Another, (2002) 5 SCC 294 – (A
no   other   substantial
Three   Judge   Bench   Judgment),  
question of law regarding interpretation of Constitution
survives,  following was laid  in Paragraph  Nos. 28,  32
and 78:­
“28.   Mr Arun Jaitley, learned Senior Counsel
and   Mr   Kirit   N.   Raval,   learned   Solicitor­
General submitted that the question involved
in these petitions is a substantial question
of   law   as   to   the   interpretation   of   the
Constitution   and,   therefore,   the   matter   may
be   referred   to   a   Bench   consisting   of   five
Judges.
32.   From the judgment rendered by this Court
1
in   Assn.   for   Democratic   Reforms   it   is
apparent that no such contention was raised
by   the   learned   Solicitor­General,   who
appeared   in   appeal   filed   on   behalf   of   the
Union of India that question involved in that
matter was required to be decided by a five­
Judge Bench, as provided under Article 145(3)
of   the   Constitution.   The   question   raised
before   us   has   been   finally   decided   and   no
other   substantial   question   of   law   regarding
the   interpretation   of   the   Constitution
survives. Hence, the matter is not required
to be referred to a five­Judge Bench.
78.    What emerges from the above discussion
can be summarised thus:­
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
( C )   The   judgment   rendered   by   this

96
Court in   Assn. for Democratic Reforms
has   attained   finality,   therefore,
there   is   no   question   of   interpreting
constitutional   provision   which   calls
for reference under Article 145(3).”
103.   On question of reference to a larger bench, one
more Constitution Bench judgment of this Court needs to
be   noticed,   i.e.   Central   Board   of   Dawoodi   Bohra
Community   and   Another   Vs.   State   of   Maharashtra   and
Another, (2005) 2 SCC 673.    Constitution Bench of this
Court while noticing provisions of Supreme Court Rules,
1966 and Articles 141 and 145(2) noticed in Paragraph 12
of the judgment that the law laid down by this Court in
a decision delivered by a Bench of larger strength is
binding   on   any   subsequent   Bench   of   lesser   or   coequal
strength. A bench of lesser quorum cannot disagree or
dissent from the view of the law laid down by a Bench of
larger quorum.   In case of doubt, the Bench of lesser
quorum can do is to invite the attention of the Chief
Justice   and   request   for the   matter   being   placed   for
hearing before a Bench of larger quorum than the Bench
whose   decision   has   come   for   consideration.     Two
exceptions   were   also   noticed   to   the   above   noted
principles   in   Para   12(3),   which   is   to   the   following

97
effect:­
“(3)   The   above   rules   are   subject   to   two
exceptions:   (i)   The   abovesaid   rules   do   not
bind the discretion of the Chief Justice in
whom   vests   the   power   of   framing   the   roster
and who can direct any particular matter to
be placed for hearing before any particular
Bench of any strength; and (ii) in spite of
the   rules   laid   down   hereinabove,   if   the
matter has already come up for hearing before
a   Bench   of   larger   quorum   and   that   Bench
itself feels that the view of the law taken
by a Bench of lesser quorum, which view is in
doubt,   needs   correction   or   reconsideration
then by way of exception (and not as a rule)
and for reasons given by it, it may proceed
to hear the case and examine the correctness
of   the   previous   decision   in   question
dispensing   with   the   need   of   a   specific
reference   or   the   order   of   Chief   Justice
constituting the Bench and such listing. Such
was the situation in Raghubir Singh and Ors.
and Hansoli Devi and Ors. (supra). ”
104.  In the present case, since the submission of Shri
Raju Ramachandran and Dr. Dhavan is for a reference to a
Constitution Bench to reconsider   Ismail Faruqui’s   case,
the question needs to be considered in view of the law
laid down by this Court in reference to Article 145(3)
as   noticed   above.   Both   Shri   Raju   Ramachandran   and
Dr. Dhavan have placed heavy reliance on order passed by
this Court on 26.03.2018 in W.P. (C) No. 222 of 2018 –
Sameena Begum Vs. Union of India & Ors.   Learned counsel

98
submit that reference to the Constitution Bench has been
made by a three Judge Bench of this Court looking to the
importance of the issue.   A perusal of the order dated
26.03.2018   indicates   that   challenge   in   those   writ
petitions pertains to the prevalent practice of polygamy
including Nikah Halala; Nikah Mutah; and Nikah Misyar on
the ground that they are unconstitutional.  Referring to
a five Judges Constitution Bench judgment of this Court
in the case of   Shayara Bano etc. Vs. Union of India &
Ors.   etc.,   (2017)   9   SCC   1 ,   where   this   Court   declared
that practice of talaq­e­biddat or triple talaq is not
protected   by   Article   25   and   it   is   not   an   essential
religious   practice,   it   was   contended   that   the   five
Judges Bench judgment in   Shayara Bano (supra)   has not
dealt with the aspect of Nikah Halala; Nikah Mutah; and
Nikah Misyar.  Thus, the question as to those religious
practices   are   protected   by   Article   25   was   very   much
involved in the Writ Petition before three Judge Bench.
The three Judge Bench also came to the conclusion that
the above noted concepts have not been decided by the
Constitution Bench, hence the reference was made to the
Constitution   Bench,   looking   to   the   importance   of   the

99
issue. The reference made by order dated 26.03.2018 was
in the facts as noted above and does not support the
submissions   made   by   Shri   Raju   Ramachandran   in   the
present case.   
105. Now, we come to those cases, which have been relied
by Shri Raju Ramachandran in support of his submission.
106. The Judgment of this Court in   Hyderabad Industries
Ltd. And Another Vs. Union of India And Others, (1995) 5
SCC 338  was a case where a three Judge Bench had doubted
the correctness of an earlier judgment, i.e.,  Khandelwal
Metal   and   Engineering   Works   and   Another   Vs.   Union   of
India   and   Others,   (1985)   3   SCC   620.     Similarly,   S.S.
Rathore Vs. State of M.P., 1988 (Supp.) SCC 522  was also
a case where correctness of a five Judges decision in
Sita  Ram  Goel Vs.  Municipal Board, Kanpur  and  Others,
AIR   1958   SC   1036   was   doubted.     Further,   judgments   of
this Court due to difference of opinion in two judgments
or conflict of opinion in judgments insisted reference,
which   are   cases   of   this   court   in   Ashwani   Kumar   and
Others Vs. State of Bihar and Others, (1996) 7 SCC 577
and   Balasaria   Construction   (P)   Ltd.   Vs.   Hanuman   Seva
Trust and Others, (2006) 5 SCC 662 , hence these cases

100
also does not support the submission.   The judgment of
this  Court  in   Acchan Rizvi  (I)  Vs.  State  of U.P. and
Others, (1994) 6 SCC 751  and  Acchan Rizvi (II) Vs. State
of U.P. and Others, (1994) 6 SCC 752  are the cases where
interlocutory   applications   in   contempt   petitions   were
filed and decided.  No principle regarding reference was
noticed,   the   said   judgments   have   no   relevance   with
regard   to   issue   of   reference   of   larger   Bench.
Similarly, judgment of this Court in   Mohd. Aslam alias
Bhure Vs. Union of India and Others, (2003) 2 SCC   576
was a  case where  an interim order  was  passed  by this
Court with regard to acquisition of 67.703 acres of land
as was noticed in  Ismail Faruqui’s  case.  This judgment
has   no   relevance   with   regard   to   reference   to   larger
Bench.     Judgment   of   this   Court   in   Mohd. Aslam   alias
Bhure Vs. Union of India and Others, (2003) 4 SCC 1,  has
been relied, which was a case decided by a five Judges
Bench. A public interest writ petition under Article 32
was filed with regard to manner in which the adjacent
land,   i.e.,   adjacent   land   to   the   disputed   structure
should be preserved till the final decision in the suit
pending in the High Court, which was revived consequent

101
to judgment in   Ismail Faruqui’s   case.   The five Judges
Bench noticed various observations and directions passed
in     case   and   ultimately   had   directed
Ismail   Faruqui’s
that interim order passed by this Court on 13.03.2002 as
modified   on   14.03.2002   should   be   operative   until
disposal of the suits in the High Court of Allahabad not
only   to   maintain   communal   harmony   but   also   to   fulfil
other   objectives   of   the   Act.   The   Writ   Petition   was
disposed   of   accordingly.   No   principle   regarding
reference   to   larger   Bench   was   laid   down   in   the   said
case,   which   may   support   the   submission   of   learned
counsel.  
107. A two Judge Bench judgment in  Vinod Kumar Shantilal
Gosalia Vs. Gangadhar and Others, 1980 (Supp.) SCC 340
has   also   been   relied,   in   which   following   order   was
passed:­
“After having heard counsel for the parties
we   reserved   judgment.   On   going   through   the
judgment of the Judicial Commissioner and the
documents   and   after   a   careful   consideration
of the arguments of the parties, we find that
these appeals involve a substantial question
of law of great importance which is likely to
govern   a   number   of   cases   arising   out   of
mining   leases   in   the   present   territory   of
Goa, Daman & Diu. We, therefore, direct that
this   case   be   placed   before   a   larger   Bench.
Let   these   appeals   be   placed   before   the

102
Hon’ble the Chief Justice for orders.”
108.   The   above   order   was   passed   by   two   Judge   Bench,
which had directed the appeal to be placed before Chief
Justice for hearing the matter by a larger Bench due to
the fact that appeal involves a substantial question of
law of great importance.  The said matter cannot be read
as an order directing the matter to be placed before a
Constitution   Bench   nor   any   proposition   regarding
reference to Constitution Bench is decipherable from the
above   order,   which   may   help   the   learned   counsel.
Another judgment, which was relied by Shri Ramachandran
is   an   order   passed   by   Justice   E.S.   Venkatramiah   –
Vacation   Judge   in   Ram   Jethmalani   Vs.   Union   of   India,
(1984) 3 SCC 696.   The above order was passed in a Writ
Petition   (Criminal).   Issue   in   the   above   case   involves
release   of   Sikh   leaders   detained   after   Punjab   action.
One   of   the issues   noticed   in   the   order   was   that   it
relates to personal liberty of a sizeable section of the
community.  Court was of the view that question involved
are too large and complex for the shoulders of a Single
Judge.   The Court opined that these and other cases of

103
like nature should be heard by a seven Judges Bench of
this Court.  The above order was passed in the peculiar
circumstances   as   noticed   in   the   judgment   and   no
principle   of   law   has   been   laid   down   in   context   of
reference of a case to a Constitution Bench.  The above
order was, thus, in peculiar facts of the case.  
109.   In   Krishan   Kumar   Vs.   Union   of   India   and   Others,
, the Court noticed that on the issue,
(1989) 2 SCC 504
there   are   no   decided   cases   of   this   Court,   hence   the
Court observed that in the above view, the matter should
be   referred   to   a   larger   Bench.     That   again   was   a
judgment of two Judge Bench and there was no direction
that   reference   should   be   made   to   a   larger   Bench
contemplated in the order, which might have been a Bench
of three Hon’ble Judges deciding the issue. In  Union of
, an
India Vs. M. Gopalakrishnaiah, 1995 Supp. (4) SCC 81
earlier Constitution  Bench  judgment in   Delhi Transport
Corporation Vs. D.T.C. Mazdoor Congress and Others, 1991
  was   noticed   and   the   question   as   to
Supp   (1)   SCC   600
whether   the   reasoning   of   the   decision   in   the   Delhi
Transport Corporation (supra)   and   Central Inland Water
Transport Corporation Limited and Another Vs. Brojo Nath

104
Ganguly and Another, (1986) 3 SCC 156 , which applied to
permanent employees can be extended to the Director on
their fixed tenure in the Scheme should be considered.
Thus, whether the Constitution Bench Judgment applied in
aforesaid case was the question referred, which is again
an order passed in the peculiar facts of the case and
does  not  contain  any  ratio  pertaining  to  reference to
larger Bench. 
 
110.  Similarly,   in  Syndicate Bank Vs. Prabha D. Naik and
Another,  (2002) 10 SCC  686 , a  two  Judge Bench  made a
reference to larger Bench to consider the interpretation
of   Article   535   of   the   Portuguese   Civil   Code   and
applicability of the Limitation Act.  The reference was
not to a  Constitution  Bench and was only  to a  larger
Bench, which might be to a three Judge Bench. Similarly,
in   Charanjeet Singh  Vs.  Raveendra Kaur,  (2008) 17 SCC
650   looking   to   the   importance   of   the   question,   a   two
Judge Bench had made reference to a larger Bench.   Two
Judge Bench reference was not to a Constitution Bench,
hence, does not support the submission.  To the similar
effect   is   the   judgment   of   this   Court   in   Telecom
Regulatory Authority of India Vs. Bharat Sanchar Nigam

105
Limited (2014) 3 SCC 304 , where two Judge Bench has made
a   reference   to   a   larger   Bench.     In   Securities   and
Exchange   Board   of   India   Vs.   Sahara   India   Real   Estate
Corporation   Limited   and   Others,   (2014)   8   SCC   751 ,   an
earlier order passed by three Judge Bench was sought to
be enforced, hence reference was made to a Three Judge
Bench, which  again  was  not  a  case for  reference to a
Constitution   Bench   of   five   Judges.     Judgment   of   this
Court   in   Rajeev   Dhavan   Vs.   Gulshan   Kumar   Mahajan   and
Others, (2014) 12 SCC  618   was  a case pertaining to a
contempt petition, which is not relevant for the present
controversy.   Last judgment relied by Shri Ramachandran
is  Vivek Narayan Sharma Vs. Union of India, (2017) 1 SCC
388.   The three Judge Bench was considering the issue of
notification   dated   08.11.2016   demonetizing   currency
notes of Rs. 500/­ and Rs. 1000/­.   Various aspects of
demonetization   came   for   consideration   in   the   writ
petition   filed   under   Article   32   and   the   transfer
petitions,   where   this   Court   noticed   following   in
Paragraph 3:­
"3.   Keeping   in   view   the   general   public
importance and the far­reaching implications
which the answers to the questions may have,
we   consider   it   proper   to   direct   that   the

106
matters be placed before the larger Bench of
five   Judges   for   an   authoritative
pronouncement. The Registry shall accordingly
place the papers before the Hon'ble the Chief
Justice   for   constituting   an   appropriate
Bench.”
111.  In the above background, the three Judge Bench has
directed the matter to be placed before larger bench of
five judges.  
112.   Present is a case where appeals  have been filed
against   judgment   dated   30.09.2010   of   Allahabad   High
Court   by   which   Four   Original   Suits,   which   were
transferred   by   the   High   Court   to   itself   have   been
decided.  Four Civil Suits were filed claiming title to
the disputed structure. Parties lead elaborate evidences
running in several thousands  pages.    The  Court, after
marshalling   the   evidences   before   it   has   decided   the
Civil Suits giving rise to these appeals.   The issues,
which   have   arisen   in   these   appeals   are   no   doubt
important issues, which have to be heard and decided in
these appeals. Normally appeals arising out of suits are
placed before a Bench of Two Judges but looking to the
importance   of   the   matter,   the   present   appeals   have
already been placed before three Judge Bench.   For the

107
aforesaid reasons, we do not agree with the submission
of Shri Raju Ramachandran that these appeals be referred
to Constitution Bench of Five Judges to reconsider the
Constitution Bench judgment in  Ismail Faruqui’s  case.
113. Before we close we remind us as well as members of
both the major communities of this country, Hindus and
Muslims,   the   thoughtful   message   given   by   Justice   S.U.
Khan   in his judgment as well as the words of Justice
J.S. Verma, speaking for majority in    Ismail Faruqui’s
case. Justice S.U. Khan made following appeal:
'Muslims must also ponder that at present the
entire     world   wants   to   know   the   exact
teaching of Islam in respect of relationship
of   Muslims   with   others.   Hostility­peace­
friendship­tolerance­opportunity   to   impress
others with the Message­opportunity to strike
wherever   and   whenever   possible­or   what?   In
this regard Muslims in India enjoy a unique
position.   They   have   been   rulers   here,   they
have been ruled and now they are sharers in
power (of course junior partners). They are
not   in   majority   but   they   are   also   not
negligible   minority   (Maximum   member   of
Muslims are in huge majority which makes them
indifferent to the problem in question or in
negligible   minority   which   makes   them
redundant. Indian Muslims have also inherited
huge   legacy   of   religious   learning   and
knowledge.   They   are   therefore   in   the   best
position   to   tell   the   world   the   correct
position. Let them start with their role in
the resolution of the conflict at hand.”

108
114. Justice J.S. Verma in paragraph 156 of the judgment
expressed great hope into Hinduism which is a tolerant
faith. In paragraph 156 it was observed:
"156.Before   we   pass   final   orders,   some
observations of a general nature appear to be
in order. Hinduism is a tolerant faith. It is
that   tolerance   that   has   enabled   Islam,
Christianity,   Zoroastrianism,   Judaism,
Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism to find shelter
and support upon this land. We have no doubt
that the moderate Hindu has little taste for
the tearing down of the place of worship of
another to replace  it with  a  temple. It is
our fervent hope that that moderate opinion
shall   find   general   expression   and   that
communal   brotherhood   shall   bring   to   the
dispute at Ayodhya an amicable solution long
before the courts resolve it.”
115.   We are also reminded of rich culture and heritage
of this ancient country which has always been a matter
of great learning and inspiration for the whole world. 
116.   The great King Asoka in 245 B.C. (Before Christ),
had   given   several   messages   to   the   world   which   are
engraved in rock edicts which   shows reverence towards
faith of others. The   Twelfth Rock Edict of the great
King Asoka stated:
"'The   King,   beloved   of   the   Gods,   honours
every form of religious faith, but considers
no gift or honour so much as the increase of
the   substance   of   religion;   whereof   this   is

109
the   root,   to   reverence   one's   own   faith   and
never to revile that of others. Whoever acts
differently injures his own religion while he
wrong's another's.' 'The texts of all forms
of   religion   shall   be   followed   under   my
protection.'”
117.   Dr. S. Radhakrishnan, most Learned and respected
former President of India, in his celebrated book   “The
Hindu View of Life”   while dealing with the subject of
“conflict   of   religion”   has   expressed   great   hope   with
Hindu view of life. Dr. Radhakrishnan in prophetic words
states:
“That the Hindu solution of the problem
of the conflict of religions is likely to be
accepted   in   the   future   seems   to   me   to   be
fairly certain. The spirit of democracy with
its   immense   faith   in   the   freedom   to   choose
one's   ends   and   direct   one's   course   in   the
effort to realize them makes for it. Nothing
is   good   which   is   not   self­chosen;   no
determination is valuable which is not self­
determination.   The   different   religions   are
slowly   learning   to   hold   out   hands   of
friendship to each other in every part of the
world.   The   parliaments   of   religions   and
conferences   and   congresses   of   liberal
thinkers   of   all   creeds   promote   mutual
understanding   and   harmony.   The   study   of
comparative   religion   is   developing   a   fairer
attitude to other religions. It is impressing
onus the fundamental unity of all religions
by   and   the   need   of   the   hour   determine   the
emphasis in each religion. We are learning to
think   clearly   about   the   inter­relations   of
religions.   We   tend   to   look   upon   different
religions not as incompatibles but as

110
complementaries, and so indispensable to each
other for the realization of the common end.
Closer   contact   with   other   religions   has
dispelled the belief that only this or that
religion   has   produced   men   of   courage   and
patience,   self­denying   love   and   creative
energy.   Every   great   religion   has   cured   its
followers of the swell of passion, the thrust
of   desire   and   the   blindness   of   temper.   The
crudest religion seems to have its place in
the   cosmic   scheme,   for   gorgeous   flowers
justify   the   muddy   roots   from   which   they
spring.”
118.  We are confident that observations made by Justice
S.U.   Khan   of   Allahabad   High   Court   as   quoted   above   as
well   as   observations   of   Justice   J.S.   Verma   made   in
paragraph   156   of   the   judgment   are   observations   which
shall guide both the communities in their thought, deed
and action.
119.  To   conclude,   we   again   make   it   clear   that
questionable observations made in   Ismail Faruqui's case
as noted above were made in context of land acquisition.
Those   observations   were   neither   relevant   for   deciding
the suits nor relevant for deciding these appeals.
120. In view of our foregoing discussions, we are of the
considered   opinion   that   no   case   has   been   made   out   to
refer the Constitution Bench judgment of this Court in

111
Ismail Faruqui case (supra)  for reconsideration. 
121.   We   record   our   appreciation   to   the   valuable
assistance rendered by the learned counsel for both the
parties,   especially   Shri   Ejaz   Maqbool   and   P.V.
Yogeswaran   who   have   rendered   great   assistance   to   the
Court   in   compiling   various   volumes   in   orderly   manner
which   had   been   of   great   help   to   the   Court,   both,   in
hearing and deciding the issue. 
122.   The   appeals   which   are   awaiting   consideration   by
this Court for quite a long period, be now listed in
th
week commencing 29  October, 2018 for hearing.
..........................CJI.
 ( DIPAK MISRA )
...........................J.
      ( ASHOK BHUSHAN )
NEW DELHI,  
SEPTEMBER 27, 2018.

1

REPORTABLE
IN THE SUPREME COURT OF INDIA
CIVIL APPELLATE JURISDICTION
CIVIL APPEAL NOS. 10866-10867 OF 2010


M. SIDDIQ (D) THR. LRS. … APPELLANT(S)

VERSUS

MAHANT SURESH DAS AND ORS. ETC. … RESPONDENT(S)

WITH

CIVIL APPEAL NOS. 4768-4771 OF 2011
CIVIL APPEAL NO. 2636 OF 2011
CIVIL APPEAL NO. 821 OF 2011
CIVIL APPEAL NO. 4739 OF 2011
CIVIL APPEAL NOS. 4905-4908 of 2011
CIVIL APPEAL NO. 2215 of 2011
CIVIL APPEAL NO. 4740 of 2011
CIVIL APPEAL NO. 2894 of 2011
CIVIL APPEAL NO. 6965 of 2011
CIVIL APPEAL NO. 4192 of 2011
CIVIL APPEAL NO. 5498 of 2011
CIVIL APPEAL NO. 7226 of 2011
CIVIL APPEAL NO. 8096 of 2011
DIARY NO. 22744 OF 2017


J U D G M E N T

S.ABDUL NAZEER, J.

1. I have had the privilege of reading the erudite Judgment of my
learned Brother Justice Ashok Bhushan. My learned Brother has

2

held that the questionable observations made in paragraph 82 of
the judgment in Dr. M. Ismail Faruqui and Ors. v. Union of India
and Ors. (1994) 6 SCC 360 (for short ' Ismail Faruqui ') are not
relevant for deciding these appeals. Therefore, His Lordship has
concluded that no case has been made out seeking reference of
these appeals to a Constitution Bench of this Court. I am unable to
accept this view expressed by my learned Brother. However, I am in
respectful agreement with his opinion on the question of res
judicata contained in paragraphs 63 to 75 of the Judgment and
have restricted this judgment to the other issues.
2. Since the facts of the case and the rival contentions of the
parties have been set out by my learned Brother in detail, it is not
necessary to reiterate them. Therefore, I have stated only certain
relevant facts.
3. In Ismail Faruqui , the Court started by elucidating the
background of the case leading to the Acquisition of Certain Area at
Ayodhya Act, 1993 (No. 33 of 1993) (for short ' 1993 Act') and the
reasons for making Special Reference to this Court by the President
of India in exercise of his power in clause (1) of Article 143 of the

3

Constitution of India. Herein the Special Reference mentioned, had
the following question for consideration and opinion:
"Whether a Hindu temple or any Hindu
religious structure existed prior to the
construction of the Ram Janma Bhumi-Babri
Masjid (including the premises of the inner
and outer courtyards of such structure) in the
area on which the structure stood?"

4. After narrating the facts, the Court went on to examine the
constitutional validity of the 1993 Act. On this issue, the Court
concluded that the Parliament has the legislative competence to
enact the said legislation and except for Section 4(3), the entire
1993 Act is constitutionally valid. While deciding so, the Court in
paragraph 51 went on to discuss the "comparative significance" of
the disputed site to the two communities. The following is
reproduced as under:
"51. It may also be mentioned that even as
Ayodhya is said to be of particular significance
to the Hindus as a place of pilgrimage because
of the ancient belief that Lord Rama was born
there, the mosque was of significance for the
Muslim community as an ancient mosque built
by Mir Baqi in 1528 AD. As a mosque, it was a
religious place of worship by the Muslims.
This indicates the comparative significance of
the disputed site to the two communities and
also that the impact of acquisition is equally
on the right and interest of the Hindu

4

community. Mention of this aspect is made
only in the context of the argument that the
statute as a whole, not merely Section 7
thereof, is anti-secular being slanted in favour
of the Hindus and against the Muslims."

5. After the aforementioned conclusion, in paragraphs 65 to 82
the Court examined the question as to whether a mosque is
immune from acquisition. Among these paragraphs, the
observations in paragraphs 77, 78 and 80 are important for the
matter in hand and are reproduced as under:-
"77. It may be noticed that Article 25 does not
contain any reference to property unlike Article
26 of the Constitution. The right to practise,
profess and propagate religion guaranteed
under Article 25 of the Constitution does not
necessarily include the right to acquire or own
or possess property. Similarly this right does
not extend to the right of worship at any and
every place of worship so that any hindrance
to worship at a particular place per se may
infringe the religious freedom guaranteed
under Articles 25 and 26 of the Constitution.
The protection under Articles 25 and 26 of the
Constitution is to religious practice which
forms an essential and integral part of the
religion. A practice may be a religious practice
but not an essential and integral part of
practice of that religion.
78. While offer of prayer or worship is a
religious practice, its offering at every
location where such prayers can be offered
would not be an essential or integral part of

5

such religious practice unless the place has
a particular significance for that religion so
as to form an essential or integral part
thereof. Places of worship of any religion
having particular significance for that
religion, to make it an essential or integral
part of the religion, stand on a different
footing and have to be treated differently
and more reverentially .
80. It has been contended that a mosque
enjoys a particular position in Muslim Law and
once a mosque is established and prayers are
offered in such a mosque, the same remains
for all time to come a property of Allah and the
same never reverts back to the donor or
founder of the mosque and any person
professing Islamic faith can offer prayer in
such a mosque and even if the structure is
demolished, the place remains the same where
the namaz can be offered. As indicated
hereinbefore, in British India, no such
protection was given to a mosque and the
mosque was subjected to the provisions of
statute of limitation thereby extinguishing the
right of Muslims to offer prayers in a particular
mosque lost by adverse possession over that
property."
(Emphasis supplied)

6. In paragraph 82 this Court summarised the position as under:
"82. The correct position may be summarised
thus. Under the Mahomedan Law applicable in
India, title to a mosque can be lost by adverse
possession (See Mulla's Principles of
Mahomedan Law , 19th Edn., by M.

6

Hidayatullah - Section 217; and Shahid
Ganj v. Shiromani Gurdwara [AIR 1940 PC
116, 121]. If that is the position in law, there
can be no reason to hold that a mosque has a
unique or special status, higher than that of
the places of worship of other religions in
secular India to make it immune from
acquisition by exercise of the sovereign or
prerogative power of the State. A mosque is
not an essential part of the practice of the
religion of Islam and namaz (prayer) by
Muslims can be offered anywhere, even in
open . Accordingly, its acquisition is not
prohibited by the provisions in the
Constitution of India. Irrespective of the status
of a mosque in an Islamic country for the
purpose of immunity from acquisition by the
State in exercise of the sovereign power, its
status and immunity from acquisition in the
secular ethos of India under the Constitution
is the same and equal to that of the places of
worship of the other religions, namely, church,
temple etc. It is neither more nor less than
that of the places of worship of the other
religions. Obviously, the acquisition of any
religious place is to be made only in unusual
and extraordinary situations for a larger
national purpose keeping in view that such
acquisition should not result in extinction of
the right to practise the religion, if the
significance of that place be such. Subject to
this condition, the power of acquisition is
available for a mosque like any other place of
worship of any religion. The right to worship is
not at any and every place, so long as it can be
practised effectively, unless the right to
worship at a particular place is itself an
integral part of that right."
(Emphasis supplied)

7

7. Dr. Rajeev Dhavan, learned senior counsel, submits that the
observations made in the above mentioned paragraph, reading "A
mosque is not an essential part of the practice of the religion of
Islam and namaz (prayer) by Muslims can be offered anywhere,
even in open." is contrary to law and the Court was obliged to
examine the faith to make this statement. He further contends that
the observations on the concepts of particular significance and
comparative significance are without foundation. Moreover, he
contends that what constitutes the essential part of a religion is
primarily to be ascertained with reference to the doctrine of that
religion itself as has been done by the Seven-Judge Constitution
Bench of this Court in, the Commissioner, Hindu Religious
Endowments, Madras v. Sri Lakshmindra Thirtha Swamiar of Sri
Shirur Mutt 1954 SCR 1005 (for short 'Shirur Mutt' ). It has also
been submitted that the broad test of "essentiality" in Shirur Mutt
cannot be cut down by later Five and Two Judges' decisions.
"Integral" is interchangeable with "essential". The latter cannot be
short circuited by the use of the former. This may lie at the root of
many mal-understandings and needs to be clarified. Further, it is
precisely this error of integrality that Ismail Faruqui uses when it

8

speaks of "particular significance". He also submits that the test
used in paragraph 78 of Ismail Faruqui was essential and integral
even though the word "or" was used. The Court has failed to
examine the tenets of faith and proceeded in its own intuitive
understanding to make ipse dixit observations. Learned senior
counsel has also relied on certain decisions of this Court in support
of his contentions. Ismail Faruqui being devoid of any examination
on this issue, the matter needs to go to a larger Bench. Dr. Dhavan
further submits that the impugned judgment was affected by the
questionable observations in Ismail Faruqui . He has taken us
through various paragraphs in the impugned judgment in this
regard. Dr. Dhavan has also referred to various observations made
in the impugned judgment to support his submission that Ismail
Faruqui has influenced the said judgment.
8. On the other hand, Shri Parasaran, learned senior counsel
submits that the questionable observations in Ismail Faruqui that
a mosque not being an essential part of the practice of Islam have
to be read in the context of the validity of the acquisition of the suit
property under the 1993 Act. He submits that this Court has not
ruled that offering Namaz by Muslims is not an essential religious

9

practice. It only ruled that right to offer Namaz at every mosque
that exists is not essential religious practice. But if a place of
worship of any religion has a particular significance for that
religion, enough to make an essential or integral part of the religion,
then it would stand on a different footing and would have to be
treated differently and more reverentially. It is argued that the
fundamental right of Muslim community under Article 25, to offer
namaz is not affected in the present case as the Babri Masjid was
not a mosque with particular significance for that religion.
9. We have also heard S/Shri C.S. Vaidyanathan, Raju
Ramachandran, S.K. Jain, learned senior counsel and Shri Tushar
Mehta, learned Additional Solicitor General and Shri P.N. Mishra,
learned advocate.
10. Learned counsel for the parties have also produced Islamic
religious texts on mosque, relevant excerpts of the holy Quran and
illuminating discourses on the holy Quran in support of their
respective contentions on whether a mosque is an essential part of
the practice of the religion of Islam.
11. It is evident from Ismail Faruqui that the principal
submission of the petitioners was that mosque cannot be acquired

10

because of a special status in Mahomedan Law. The Constitution
Bench has discussed this aspect under a separate heading "Mosque
– Immunity from Acquisition" from paragraph 65 of the judgment.
Specifically in paragraph 74, the Court observed that subject to
protection under Articles 25 and 26 of the Constitution, places of
religious worship, like mosques, churches, temples, etc. can be
acquired under the State's sovereign power of acquisition. Such
acquisition per se does not violate either Article 25 or Article 26 of
the Constitution. Further, the Court in paragraph 77 noted that
Article 25 does not contain any reference to property unlike Article
26 of the Constitution. The right to practice, profess and propagate
religion guaranteed under Article 25 of the Constitution does not
necessarily include right to acquire or own or possess property.
Similarly, this right does not extend to the right of worship at any
and every place of worship so that any hindrance to worship at a
place per se may infringe the religious freedom guaranteed under
Articles 25 and 26 of the Constitution. Additionally, in paragraph
78, it noted that places of worship of any religion having particular
significance for that religion, to make it an essential or integral part
of the religion, stand on a different footing and have to be treated

11

differently and more reverentially. While summarizing the position,
in paragraph 82, the Court has observed that a mosque is not an
essential part of practice of religion of Islam and namaz by Muslims
can be offered anywhere even in open.
12. What constitutes the essential part of a religion is primarily to
be ascertained with reference to the doctrine, tenets and beliefs of
that religion itself. This has been laid down at page 1025 in Shirur
Mutt :
"……..The learned Attorney-General lays stress
upon clause (2)( a ) of the article and his
contention is that all secular activities, which
may be associated with religion but do not
really constitute an essential part of it, are
amenable to State regulation.

The contention formulated in such broad
terms cannot, we think, be supported. In the
first place, what constitutes the essential
part of a religion is primarily to be
ascertained with reference to the doctrines
of that religion itself. If the tenets of any
religious sect of the Hindus prescribe that
offerings of food should be given to the idol
at particular hours of the day, that
periodical ceremonies should be performed
in a certain way at certain periods of the
year or that there should be daily recital of
sacred texts or oblations to the sacred fire,
all these would be regarded as parts of
religion and the mere fact that they involve
expenditure of money or employment of

12

priests and servants or the use of
marketable commodities would not make
them secular activities partaking of a
commercial or economic character; all of
them are religious practices and should be
regarded as matters of religion within the
meaning of Article 26( b ). What Article
25(2)( a ) contemplates is not regulation by
the State of religious practices as such, the
freedom of which is guaranteed by the
Constitution except when they run counter
to public order, health and morality, but
regulation of activities which are economic,
commercial or political in their character
though they are associated with religious
practices ."
(Emphasis supplied)

13. Further, at pages 1028-1029 it is stated that,
" Under Article 26( b ), therefore, a religious
denomination or organization enjoys
complete autonomy in the matter of
deciding as to what rites and ceremonies
are essential according to the tenets of the
religion they hold and no outside authority
has any jurisdiction to interfere with their
decision in such matters. Of course, the
scale of expenses to be incurred in connection
with these religious observances would be a
matter of administration of property belonging
to the religious denomination and can be
controlled by secular authorities in accordance
with any law laid down by a competent
legislature; for it could not be the injunction of
any religion to destroy the institution and its
endowments by incurring wasteful expenditure
on rites and ceremonies."
(Emphasis supplied)

13

14. In Ratilal Panachand Gandhi v. The State of Bombay and
Ors. 1954 SCR 1055, a Constitution Bench of this Court has held
thus:
"It may be noted that 'religion' is not
necessarily theistic and in fact there are well
known religions in India like Buddhism and
Jainism which do not believe in the existence
of God or of any Intelligent First Cause. A
religion undoubtedly has its basis in a
system of beliefs and doctrines which are
regarded by those who profess that religion
to be conducive to their spiritual well being,
but it would not be correct to say, as seems
to have been suggested by one of the
learned Judges of the Bombay High Court,
that matters of religion are nothing but
matters of religious faith and religious
belief .

xxx xxx xxx

….. No outside authority has any right to
say that these are not essential parts of
religion and it is not open to the secular
authority of the State to restrict or prohibit
them in any manner they like under the
guise of administering the trust estate ."

(Emphasis supplied)

15 . In Sri Venkataramana Devaru and Ors. v. The State of
Mysore and Ors. 1958 SCR 895, a Constitution Bench of this

14

Court had the opportunity to consider Articles 25 and 26 of the
Constitution of India in the context of Madras Temple Entry
Authorisation Act, 1947 as amended in 1949. After referring to
Shirur Mutt , this Court has held as under:

"16(3)…. Now, the precise connotation of the
expression “matters of religion” came up for
consideration by this Court in The
Commissioner, Hindu Religious Endowments,
Madras v. Sri Lakshmindra Thirtha Swamiar of
Sri Shirur Mutt [(1954) SCR 1005] and it was
held therein that it embraced not merely
matters of doctrine and belief pertaining to the
religion but also the practice of it, or to put it
in terms of Hindu theology, not merely
its Gnana but also its Bhakti and Karma
Kandas . …."

16. In The Durgah Committee, Ajmer and Anr. v. Syed Hussain
Ali and Ors. (1962) 1 SCR 383, a Constitution Bench of this Court,
after considering the historical background of the dispute, has held
thus:-
" Having thus reviewed broadly the genesis
of the shrine, its growth and the story of its
endowments and their management, it may
now be relevant to enquire what is the
nature of the tenets and beliefs to which
Soofism subscribes . Such an enquiry would
serve to assist us in determining whether the
Chishtia sect can be regarded as a religious

15

denomination or a section thereof within
Art 26."

(Emphasis supplied)

17. In Sardar Syedna Taher Saifuddin Saheb v. The State of
Bombay 1962 Supp (2) SCR 496, this Court was considering the
validity of the law interfering with the right of religious
denominations to ex-communicate its members. In this context
Articles 25 and 26 came to be considered. After referring to the
various decisions a Constitution Bench of this Court has held as
under:-

"The content of Arts. 25 and 26 of the
Constitution came up for consideration before
this Court in the Commissioner, Hindu
Religious Endowments Madras v. Sri
Lakshmindra Thirtha Swamiar of Sri Shirur
Matt; Mahant Jagannath Ramanuj Das v. The
State of Orissa; Sri Venkatamana Devaru v. The
State of Mysore; Durgah Committee; Ajmer v.
Syed Hussain Ali and several other cases and
the main principles underlying these
provisions have by these decisions been placed
beyond controversy. The first is that the
protection of these articles is not limited to
matters of doctrine or belief they extend also to
acts done in pursuance of religion and
therefore contain a guarantee for rituals and
observances, ceremonies and modes of
worship which are integral parts of religion.

16

The second is that what constitutes an
essential part of a religious or religious
practice has to be decided by the courts
with reference to the doctrine of a
particular religion and include practices
which are regarded by the community as a
part of its religion ."

(Emphasis supplied)

Tilkayat Shri Govindlalji Maharaj State of Rajasthan
18. In v.
and Ors . (1964) 1 SCR 561, a Constitution Bench of this Court was
considering the validity of Nathdwara Temple Act, 1959 (No. XIII of
1959). The same was challenged on behalf of the denomination of
followers of Vallabha. The case originally involved challenge to the
Nathdwara Ordinance, 1959 (No. II of 1959) which was issued on
February 6, 1959. Subsequently, this Ordinance was repealed by
the Act and the petitioner was allowed to amend his petition. It was
contended that if the temple was held to be a public temple then the
Act is to be invalid because it contravenes the fundamental rights
guaranteed to the denomination under Articles 25 and 26 of the
Constitution. After considering the rival contentions, the Court has
held as under:

17

" In deciding the question as to whether a given
religious practice is an integral part of the
religion or not, the test always would be
whether it is regarded as such by the
community following the religion or not. This
formula may in some cases present difficulties
in its operation. Take the case of a practice in
relation to food or dress. If in a given
proceeding, one section of the community
claims that while performing certain rites
white dress is an integral part of the religion
itself, whereas another section contends that
yellow dress and not the white dress is the
essential part of the religion, how is the Court
going to decide the question? Similar disputes
may arise in regard to food. In cases where
conflicting evidence is produced in respect of
rival contentions as to competing religious
practices the Court may not be able to resolve
the dispute by a blind application of the
formula that the community decides which
practice in an integral part of its religion,
because the community may speak with more
than one voice and the formula would,
therefore, break down. This question will
always have to be decided by the Court and
in doing so, the Court may have to enquire
whether the practice in question is religious
in character and if it is, whether it can be
regarded as an integral or essential part of
the religion, and the finding of the Court on
such an issue will always depend upon the
evidence adduced before it as to the
conscience of the community and the
tenets of its religion . It is in the light of this
possible complication which may arise in some
cases that this Court struck a note of caution
in the case of Durgah Committee Ajmer v. Syed
[(1962) 1 SCR 383 at p. 411] and
Hussain Ali

18

observed that in order that the practices in
question should be treated as a part of religion
they must be regarded by the said religion as
its essential and integral part; otherwise even
purely secular practices which are not an
essential or an integral part of religion are apt
to be clothed with a religious form and may
make a claim for being treated as religious
practices within the meaning of Article 25(1)."

(Emphasis supplied)

19. It is clear from the aforesaid decisions that the question as to
whether a particular religious practice is an essential or integral
part of the religion is a question which is to be considered by
considering the doctrine, tenets and beliefs of the religion. It is also
clear that the examination of what constitutes an essential practice
requires detailed examination as reflected in the aforesaid
judgments.
20. At this juncture, it is also pertinent to note the observations in
Sri Adi Visheshwara of Kashi Vishwanath Temple, Varanasi and
Ors. v. State of U.P. and Ors. (1997) 4 SCC 606, at paragraph 28,
where it is stated:
"…. The concept of essentiality is not itself a
determinative factor. It is one of the
circumstances to be considered in
adjudging whether the particular matters of
religion or religious practices or belief are

19

an integral part of the religion. It must be
decided whether the practices or matters are
considered integral by the community itself.
Though not conclusive, this is also one of the
facets to be noticed. The practice in question is
religious in character and whether it could be
regarded as an integral and essential part of
the religion and if the court finds upon
evidence adduced before it that it is an integral
or essential part of the religion, Article 25
accords protection to it…."

(Emphasis supplied)

21. As mentioned above, parties have produced various texts in
Islam in support of their respective contentions. For the present,
we are concerned with the approach of the Court in concluding
questionable observations without examining the doctrine, tenets
and beliefs of the religion. The conclusion in paragraph 82 of Ismail
Faruqui that "A mosque is not an essential part of the practice of
the religion of Islam and namaz (prayer) by Muslims can be offered
anywhere, even in open" has been arrived at without undertaking
comprehensive examination.
22. Now, the question is whether the impugned judgment has
been affected by the questionable observations in Ismail Faruqui .
A perusal of the impugned judgment shows that learned advocates

20

appearing for the parties have repeatedly quoted various
paragraphs of Ismail Faruqui while arguing the case and have also
placed strong reliance on the questionable observations made in
Ismail Faruqui .
23. A few paragraphs mentioned at page Nos. 3038-3039, 3061,
3392, 3429 and 3439 of the impugned judgment delivered by
Justice D.V Sharma wherein Ismail Faruqui is quoted have been
reproduced as under:
"
ISSUE NO. 19 (d): Whether the building in
question could not be a mosque under the
Islamic Law in view of the admitted position
that it did not have minarets?
FINDINGS:
On behalf of defendants it is contended
that the building in question was not a
mosque under the Islamic Law. It is not
disputed that the structure has already been
demolished on 6.12.1992. According to Dr. M.
Ismail Faruqui and others v. Union of India and
others , case, 1994 (6) SCC 360, the Hon'ble
Apex Court held at para 70 that the sacred
character of the mosque can also be lost.
According to the tenets of Islam, minarets are
required to give Azan. There cannot be a public
place of worship in mosque in which Provision
of Azan is not available, hence the disputed
structure cannot be deemed to be a mosque.
According to Islamic tenets, there cannot
be a mosque without place of Wazoo and

21

surrounded by a graveyard on three sides.
Thus, in view of the above discussions, there is
a strong circumstance that without any
minaret there cannot be any mosque. Issue
No. 19(d) is decided accordingly, against the
plaintiffs and in favour of the defendants."
[Printed volume of the judgment at
page Nos. 3038-3039]
"Defendants further claim that the
property in suit was not in exclusive
possession of Muslims right from 1858. It is
further submitted that in view of the
possession of Hindus from 1858 and onwards
which is evident from Ext. 15, 16, 18, 19, 20,
27 and 31, the outer Courtyard was
exclusively in possession of Hindus and the
inner Courtyard was not exclusively in
possession of Muslims but also in joint
possession of Hindus and Muslims till 1934.
Muslims were dispossessed from the inner
Courtyard also in 1934 and plaintiffs admit
that Muslims were dispossessed on
22/23December 1949 from the inner
Courtyard. Thus, on the basis of Islamic tenets
the Muslims claim that the property shall be
construed as a Mosque. In this reference the
controversy has already been set at rest by the
Privy Council in the decision of Masjid Shahid
Ganj v. Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak
Committee, Amritsar, AIR 1940 PC 116. The
aforesaid view has been approved in Dr. M.
Ismail Faruqui v. Union Of India, 1994 (6) SCC
360, Para 70 of the ruling is relevant which
reads as under……"
[Printed volume of the judgment at
page Nos. 3061]

22

"Sri Jain has relied upon para 78 of Dr. M.
Ismail Faruqui and others v. Union of India and
others 1994(6) SCC 360, which is reproduced
as under :
“While offer of prayer or worship is are
religious practice, its offering at every
location where such prayers can be
offered would not be an essential or
integral part of such religious practice
unless the place has a particular
significance for that religion so as to
form an essential or integral part
thereof. Places of worship of any
religion having particular significance
for that religion, to make it an
essential or integral part of the
religion, stand on a different footing
and have to be treated differently and
move reverentially."
Sri H.S. Jain, Advocate has further argued
that since birth place of Lord Ram was
considered as a place of worship which was
integral part of religious practice of Hindu from
times immemorial. It is deity and it stands on
a different footing and have to be treated
reverentially. Sri Jain has further urged that in
view of the constitutional mandate as provided
under Article 25 of the Constitution this place
which was all the time being worshipped has
be treated by this Court as a place of worship
because of the belief of the Hindu based on
religious book and religious practice to be birth
place of Lord Ram as the temple was
constructed in the 12th century. It is expedient
to say that prior to 12th century there is
evidence that earlier temples were also
constructed at the site. Thus, according to Sri
H.S. Jain, Advocate there is overwhelming

23

evidence to establish the site of Ram
Janambhumi and the Court has to recognize
the same. Thus, the suit of the plaintiffs which
causes hindrance for worship of Hindu is liable
to be dismissed on this count as no relief can
be granted under Section 42 of the Specific
Relief Act, 1877, now Section 34 of the Specific
Relief Act, 1963."
[Printed volume of the judgment at
page Nos. 3392]
"LORD RAM AS THE AVATAR OF VISHNU
HAVING BEEN BORN AT AYODHYA AT THE
JANMASTHAN IS ADMITTEDLY THE CORE
PART OF HINDU BELIEF AND FAITH WHICH
IS IN EXISTENCE AND PRACTICED FOR THE
LAST THOUSANDS OF YEARS. THE HINDU
SCRIPTURES ALSOS SANCTIFY IT. ARTICLE
25 OF THE CONSTITUTION BEING A
FUNDAMENTAL RIGHT ENSUES ITS
PRESERVATION AND NO RELIEF CAN BE
TAKEN BY THE COURT WHICH SEEKS TO
RESTRICT OR ALTOGETHER EXTINGUISH
THIS RIGHT.
The fact that Ram Janambhumi is an
integral part of Hindu Religion and the right to
worship there is a fundamental right of the
Hindu religion and can be enforced through a
suit can be clearly made out through a
number of decisions of the Hon'ble Supreme
Court."

[Printed volume of the judgment at
page Nos. 3429]
"THE RELIGIOUS RIGHT OF HINDUS TO
WORSHIP RAM LALA AT THE JANMASTHAN
BECAME CONCRETISED BEFORE THE

24

CONSTITUTION CAME INTO BEING AND THE
SAME REQUIRES TO BE PROTECTED.

It is well-known that the Constitution of India
th
was enacted, i.e. given to ourselves, w.e.f. 26
January, 1950. Before it, the right of Hindus
to worship was duly sanctified and recognized
by judicial orders.
In fact, the Supreme Court records in the
Ismail Faruqui case above the contention in
paragraph 1.2 of the White Paper of the
Government of India as recorded in Paragraph
9, Page 380, of the said judgment. It reads as
follows: "Interim orders in these civil suits
restrained the parties from removing the idols
or interfering with their worship. In effect,
therefore, from December 1949 till 6.12.1992
the structure had not been used as a mosque."

It is further very significant to note that the
Muslims for the first time, after 1949, assert
their right howsoever unsustainable, only in
th
18 December, 1961.

Therefore, the right of the Hindus to worship
at the Rama Janma Bhumi, continuing since
times immemorial as an integral part of their
religious right and faith was also sanctified by
judicial orders from 1949 continuously. This
right has concretised and remains an integral
part of Hindu religion and has to be protected."

[Printed volume of the judgment at
page Nos. 3439]

25

24. Similarly, in the judgment rendered by Justice Sudhir
Agarwal, Ismail Faruqui has been quoted at page No. 2015 in the
printed volume of the judgment, which is as under:
"3501. Sri Prasad argued that belief of Hindus
that Lord Ram as incarnation of Vishnu having
born at Ayodhya forms an integral part of
Hindu religion which cannot be denied to be
practised, observed and performed by them
and refers to Commissioner of Police & others v.
Acharya Jagadishwarananda Avadhuta&
another , (2004) 12 SCC 770 (para 9) and Sri
Adi Visheshwara of Kashi Vishwanath Temple,
Varanasi (supra). In order to show what
constitutes public order under Article 25 of the
Constitution, he also placed reliance on Dalbir
Singh & others v. State of Punjab , AIR 1962 SC
1106 (para 8).
3502. Next he submits that applying the
doctrine of Eminent Domain, the place in
dispute, having special significance for Hindus,
cannot be touched at all either by any
particular person or even by State and the
provisions of even acquisition would not apply
to it though with respect to the alleged
mosque, it has been already held and observed
by the Apex Court that the disputed building
could not be shown to be of any special
significance to Muslims. He refers to Dr. M.
Ismail Faruqui and others v. Union of India &
others , (1994) 6 SCC 360 (para 65, 72, 75 and
96); Acharya Maharajshri Narendra Prasadji
Anand prasadji Maharaj and others v. State of
Gujarat & others , (1975) 1 SCC 11. The relief
sought by the plaintiff (Suit-4) is barred by
Section 34 Specific Reliefs Act, 1963 and

26

reliance is placed on Executive Committee of
Vaish Degree College, Shamli and others v.
Lakshmi Narain and others , (1976) 2 SCC 58
(para 20 and 27); American Express Bank Ltd.
v. Calcutta Steel Co. and others , (1993) 2 SCC
199(para 22)."

25. After considering Ismail Faruqui, Justice Sudhir Agarwal in
paragraphs 2722 to 2725 has opined as under:
"2722. The Fourth angle: It is a deity which
has filed the present suit for enforcement of its
rights. The religious endowment in the case in
hand so far as Hindus are concerned, as they
have pleaded in general, is a place of a peculiar
and unique significance for them and there
cannot be any other place like this. In case
this place is allowed to extinguish/extinct by
application of a provision of statutes, may be
of limitation or otherwise, the fundamental
right of practicing religion shall stand denied
to the Hindus permanently since the very
endowment or the place of religion will
disappear for all times to come and this kind of
place cannot be created elsewhere.
2723. In Ismail Farooqui (supra), Supreme
Court has considered the plea of validity of
acquisition of land under Land Acquisition Act
that once a waqf of mosque is created, the
property vests in almighty and it always
remain a waqf hence such a property cannot
be acquired. While negativing this plea, the
Apex Court said that a plea in regard to
general religious purposes cannot be said to be
an integral part of religion which will deprive
the worshippers of the right of worship at any
other place and therefore, such a property can

27

be acquired by the State. However, the position
would be otherwise if the religious property
would have been of special significance and
cannot be one of several such kind of
properties. It will be useful to reproduce the
relevant observation in this regard:
"78. It appears from various decisions
rendered by this Court, referred later,
that subject to the protection under
Articles 25 and 26 of the Constitution,
places of religious worship like
mosques, churches, temples etc. can
be acquired under the State's
sovereign power of acquisition. Such
acquisition per se does not violate
either Article 25 or Article 26 of the
Constitution. The decisions relating to
taking over of the management have
no bearing on the sovereign power of
the State to acquire property."
"82. While offer of prayer or worship is
a religious practice, its offering at every
location where such prayers can be
offered would not be an essential or
integral part of such religious practice
unless the place has a particular
significance for that religion so as to
form an essential or integral part
thereof. Places of worship of any
religion having particular significance
for that religion, to make it an
essential or integral part of the
religion, stand on a different footing
and have to be treated differently and
more reverentially."
2724. The above observations show if the
religious endowment is of such nature, which

28

is of specific significance or peculiar in nature,
could not have been found elsewhere, the
acquisition of such property by the
Government will have the effect of depriving
the worshippers their right of worship under
Article 25 of the Constitution and such an
acquisition even under the statutory provision,
cannot be permitted. We find sufficient
justification to extend this plea to the statute
of limitation also, inasmuch as, if the statute
pertaining to acquisition cannot be extended to
a religious place of special significance which
may have the effect of destroying the right of
worship at a particular place altogether,
otherwise the provision will be ultra vires, the
same would apply to the statute of limitation
also and that be so, it has to be read that the
statute of limitation to this extent may not be
availed where the debutter's property is of
such a nature that it may have the effect of
extinction of the very right of worship on that
place which is of peculiar nature and specific
significance. This will be infringing the
fundamental right under Article 25 of the
Constitution.
2725. In fact this reason could have been
available to the plaintiffs (Suit-4) also had it
been shown by them that the mosque in
question for them was a place of special
significance but this has already been
observed by the Apex Court in respect to this
particular mosque that like others it is one of
the several mosques and by acquisition of the
place it will not have the effect of depriving
such fundamental right of Muslims. It is
always open to them to offer prayer at any
other place like they could have done here but
Hindus are not placed on similar footing.

29

According to Hindus, this is a place of birth of
lord Rama and that be so, there cannot be any
other place for which such belief persists since
time immemorial. Once this land is allowed to
be lost due to the acts of persons other than
Hindus, the very right of this Section of people,
as protected by Article 25, shall stand
destroyed. This is another reason for not
attracting the provisions of limitation in the
present case. "
26. Similarly, Justice D.V. Sharma has stated thus:

"A SOVEREIGN GOVERNMENT EVEN BY
EXERCISING THE POWER OF EMINENT
DOMAN CANNOT EXERCISE THE POWER OF
ACQUISITION OF LAND OR PROPERTY
WHICH EXTINGUISHES THE CORE OF THE
FAITH OR THE PLACE OR THE INSTITUTION
WHICH IS HELD TO BE SACRED.
What clearly follows is that a sovereign
Government cannot extinguish the core of the
Hindu religion which is the Ram Janambhumi,
let alone the same be extinguished through a
suit, by transferring the same to some other
party in this case the plaintiff thereby ensuring
that the said fundamental right to worship at
the Ram Janambhumi is extinguished forever.
RELEVANT CASE LAW…
(b) Dr. M. Ismail Faruqui and Others v. Union of
India & Others , 1994 (6) SCC Para 76, Page
416 – Acharya Maharajshri Narendra Prasadji
Anand Prasadji Maharaj v. State of Gujarat ,
(1976) 2 SCR 317 at pages 327-328: (AIR 1974
SC 2098 at p. 2103), has held :

30

"One thing is, however, clear that
Article 26 guarantees inter alia the
right to own and acquire movable and
immovable property for managing
religious affairs. This right, however,
cannot take away the right of the State
to compulsorily acquire property ......If,
on the other hand, acquisition of
property of a religious denomination by
the State can be proved to be such as
to destroy or completely negative its
right to own and acquire movable and
immovable property for even the
survival of a religious institution the
question may have to be examined in a
different light."
Para 82 - A mosque is not an essential part of
the practice of religion of Islam and Namaz by
Muslims can be offered anywhere, even in the
open. Accordingly, its acquisition is not
prohibited by the provisions in the
Constitution of India. Obviously, the
acquisition of any religious place is to be made
only in unusual and extraordinary situations
for a larger national purpose. Keeping in view
that such acquisition should not result in
extinction of the right to practice the religion if
the significance of that place be such.
Note (i) Ram Janmasthan in Ayodhya where
Ram Lala is Virajman is a place of religious
significance as described in the above
judgment. If the sovereign authority, under the
power of eminent domain, cannot acquire it,
can a plea at the instance of plaintiffs who are
private persons in Suit No. 4 be entertained,
upholding of which would lead to denial of
such sacred place altogether to the Hindus.

31

Note (ii) At page 413, Para 65 of Ismail Faruqui
– No argument made about a mosque of
special significance which forms an essential
part of Islam. Hence, no question raised about
Baburi Mosque as integral to Islam and it has
not been raised in the plaint here or evidence
laid or any contention ever made that the said
mosque was of any significance to the practice
of Islam as a religion……."
[Printed volume of the judgment at
page Nos.3438-3439]
"FINDINGS ….. Hon'ble Apex Court upheld the
validity of provisions of Acquisition of Certain
Area at Ayodhya, 1993 in Dr. Ismail Faruqui
case (supra) and held that the Central
Government can acquire any place of worship.
At para- 78 Apex Court held that the place of
birth has a particular significance for Hindus
and it should be treated on different footing,
which reads as under:-
“78. While offer of prayer or worship is
a religious practice, its offering at every
location where such prayers can be
offered would not be an essential or
integral part of such religious practice
unless the place has a particular
significance for that religion so as to
form an essential or integral part
thereof. Places of worship of any
religion having particular significance
for that religion, to make it an
essential or integral part of the
religion, stand on a different footing
and have to be treated differently and
more reverentially.”

32

On behalf of Hindus it is urged that the
plaintiffs are not entitled for the relief claimed
and as such the relief is barred by the
provisions of Section 42 of the Specific Relief
Act, 1877 which is at par with Section 34 of
the Specific Relief Act,1963 on the ground that
they have superior fundamental rights.
Contentions of Hindus are as under:
"The Hindus have superior fundamental
right than the Muslims under articles 25 & 26
of the Constitution of India for the reasons
that performing customary rituals and offering
service worship to the lord of universe to
acquire merit and to get salvation as such it is
integral part of Hindu Dharma & religion in
view whereof it is humbly submitted that the
instant suit is liable to be dismissed with
exemplary cost: …
2. In M. Ismail Faruqui (Dr.) v. Union of India ,
(1994) 6 SCC 360, the Hon’ble Supreme Court
has held that the Right to Practise, Profess and
Propagate Religion guaranteed under Article
25 of the Constitution does not extend to the
Right of Worship at any and every place of
worship so that any hindrance to worship at a
particular place per se may infringe the
religious freedom guaranteed under Articles 25
and 26 of the Constitution of India. The
protection under Articles 25 and 26 is to
religious practice which forms integral part of
practice of that religion. While offer of prayer
or worship is a religious practice, its offering at
every location where such prayers can be
offered would not be an essential or integral
part of such religious practice unless the place
has a particular significance for that religion
so as to form an essential or integral part
thereof. Places of worship of any religion

33

having particular significance of that religion
to make it an essential or integral part of the
religion stand on a different footing and have
to be treated differently and more reverentially.
Relying on said judgment it is submitted that
Sri Ramjanamsthan has particular significance
for the Hinduism as visiting and performing
customary rites confer merit and gives
salvation it is firm belief of the Hindus based
on their sacred Divine Holy Scriptures which
belief neither can be scrutinized by any Court
of Law nor can be challenged by the persons
having no faith in Hinduism as this is
conscience of the Hindus having special
protection under Article 25 of the Constitution
of India. Relevant paragraph 77 and 78 of the
said judgment read as follows:
77. It may be noticed that Article 25
does not contain any reference to
property unlike Article 26 of the
Constitution. The right to practise,
profess and propagate religion
guaranteed under Article 25 of the
Constitution does not necessarily
include the right to acquire or own or
possess property. Similarly this right
does not extend to the right of worship
at any and every place of worship so
that any hindrance to worship at a
particular place per se may infringe the
religious freedom guaranteed under
Articles 25 and 26 of the Constitution.
The protection under Articles 25 and
26 of the Constitution is to religious
practice which forms an essential and
integral part of the religion. A practice
may be a religious practice but not an

34

essential and integral part of practice
of that religion.
78. While offer of prayer or worship is
a religious practice, its offering at every
location where such prayers can be
offered would not be an essential or
integral part of such religious practice
unless the place has a particular
significance for that religion so as to
form an essential or integral part
thereof. Places of worship of any
religion having particular significance
for that religion, to make it an
essential or integral part of the
religion, stand on a different footing
and have to be treated differently and
more reverentially.
3. In M. Ismail Faruqui (Dr.) v. Union of
India (supra) the Hon’ble Supreme Court held
that a mosque is not an essential part of the
practice of the religion of Islam and namaz
(prayer) by Muslims can be offered any where
even in open. The Right to Worship is not at
any and every place so long as it can be
practised effectively, unless the Right to
Worship at a particular place is itself an
integral part of that right. Relying on said ratio
of law it is submitted that without offering
prayer at Sri Ramjanamsthan described as
Babri mosque in the plaint it can be practised
somewhere else but offering prayer instead of
Sri Ramjanamsthan at any other place cannot
be practised because the merit which is
obtained by worshiping at the birth place of Sri
Ram cannot be obtained by doing so at other
places and it will be contrary to the holy Divine
Sacred Scripture of the Hindus and will cause
extinction of a most sacred shrine of the

35

Hindus. Relevant paragraph Nos. 80 to 87 of
the said judgment read as follows:
80. It has been contended that a
mosque enjoys a particular position in
Muslim Law and once a mosque is
established and prayers are offered in
such a mosque, the same remains for
all time to come a property of Allah
and the same never reverts back to the
donor or founder of the mosque and
any person professing Islamic faith can
offer prayer in such a mosque and
even if the structure is demolished, the
place remains the same where the
namaz can be offered. As indicated
hereinbefore, in British India, no such
protection was given to a mosque and
the mosque was subjected to the
provisions of statute of limitation
thereby extinguishing the right of
Muslims to offer prayers in a particular
mosque lost by adverse possession
over that property.
81. Section 3(26) of the General
Clauses Act comprehends the
categories of properties known to
Indian Law. Article 367 of the
Constitution adopts this secular
concept of property for purposes of our
Constitution. A temple, church or
mosque etc. are essentially immovable
properties and subject to protection
under Articles 25 and 26. Every
immovable property is liable to be
acquired. Viewed in the proper
perspective, a mosque does not enjoy
any additional protection which is not

36

available to religious places of worship
of other religions.
82. The correct position may be
summarised thus. Under the
Mahomedan Law applicable in India,
title to a mosque can be lost by
adverse possession (See Mulla’s
Principles of Mahomedan Law, 19th
Edn., by M. Hidayatullah — Section
217; and Shahid Ganj v. Shiromani
Gurdwara. If that is the position in
law, there can be no reason to hold
that a mosque has a unique or special
status, higher than that of the places
of worship of other religions in secular
India to make it immune from
acquisition by exercise of the sovereign
or prerogative power of the State. A
mosque is not an essential part of the
practice of the religion of Islam and
namaz (prayer) by Muslims can be
offered anywhere, even in open.
Accordingly, its acquisition is not
prohibited by the provisions in the
Constitution of India. Irrespective of
the status of a mosque in an Islamic
country for the purpose of immunity
from acquisition by the State in
exercise of the sovereign power, its
status and immunity from acquisition
in the secular ethos of India under the
Constitution is the same and equal to
that of the places of worship of the
other religions, namely, church, temple
etc. It is neither more nor less than
that of the places of worship of the
other religions. Obviously, the
acquisition of any religious place is to

37

be made only in unusual and
extraordinary situations for a larger
national purpose keeping in view that
such acquisition should not result in
extinction of the right to practise the
religion, if the significance of that place
be such. Subject to this condition, the
power of acquisition is available for a
mosque like any other place of worship
of any religion. The right to worship is
not at any and every place, so long as
it can be practised effectively, unless
the right to worship at a particular
place is itself an integral part of that
right…..”

[Printed volume of the judgment at
page Nos.3454-3458]

27. Hence, it is clear that the questionable observations in Ismail
Faruqui have certainly permeated the impugned judgment. Thus,
the impugned judgment can be claimed to be both expressly and
inherently affected by the questionable observations made in Ismail
Faruqui . Further, Ismail Faruqui prima facie leads a different
approach regarding the application of essential and/or integral test
which also needs to be resolved as a matter of constitutional
significance. In my view, Ismail Faruqui needs to be brought in line
with the authoritative pronouncements in Shirur Mutt and other

38

decisions referred to in paragraphs 14 to 18 and 20 of this
judgment.
28. The importance and seriousness of the matter can be better
understood by the observations made by Justice S.U. Khan in the
impugned judgment itself, in the following words:-
"Here is a small piece of land (1500 square
yards) where angels fear to tread. It is full of
innumerable land mines. We are required to
clear it. Some very sane elements advised us
not to attempt that. We do not propose to
rush in like fools lest we are blown. However,
we have to take risk. It is said that the
greatest risk in life is not daring to take risk
when occasion for the same arises.
Once angels were made to bow before Man.
Sometimes he has to justify the said honour.
This is one of those occasions. We have
succeeded or failed? No one can be a judge in
his own cause.
Accordingly, herein follows the judgment for
which the entire country is waiting with bated
breath."
29. It is relevant here to state that by an order dated 26.3.2018 a
three-Judge Bench of this Court in Sameena Begum v. Union of
India & Ors. [Writ Petition (Civil) No. 222 of 2018] has referred the
matter relating to polygamy including Nikah Halala; Nikha Mutah;
and Nikah Misya to a Constitution Bench. The order of reference in
the said case reads as under:

39

"It is submitted by learned counsel for the
petitioners that the challenge in these writ
petitions pertains to the prevalent practice of
polygamy including Nikah Halala; Nikah
Mutah; and Nikah Misyar as they are
unconstitutional. Various grounds have been
urged in support of the stand as to how these
practices, which come within the domain of
personal law, are not immune from judicial
review under the Constitution. It is urged by
them that the majority opinion of the
Constitution Bench in the case of Shayara
Bano etc. v. Union of India & Ors. etc. (2017) 9
SCC 1 has not dealt with these aspects. They
have drawn our attention to various
paragraphs of the judgment to buttress the
point that the said issues have not been really
addressed as there has been no delineation on
these aspects.
On a perusal of the judgment, we find the
submission of the learned counsel for the
parties/petitioners is correct that these
concepts have not been decided by the
Constitution Bench.

xxx xxx xxx

xxx xxx xxx

At this juncture, a submission has
been advanced at the Bar that keeping in
view the importance of the issue, the
matter should be placed before the
Constitution Bench. Accepting the said
submission, it is directed that the matter
be placed before Hon'ble the Chief Justice
of India for constitution of appropriate
Constitution Bench for dwelling upon the

40

issues which may arise for consideration
from the writ petitions ."
(Emphasis supplied)

30. Moreover, a two-Judge Bench of this Court on 6.7.2018 in
Jyoti Jagran Mandal v. NDMC & Anr. [Civil Appeal No. 5820 of
2018] has referred the matter in relation to the policy decision
permitting Ram Leela and Puja once in a year in public parks to a
Constitution Bench holding as under:
"Application seeking exemption from filing
certified copy of the impugned order is allowed.

Appeal admitted.

The order of the National Green Tribunal,
Principal Bench, New Delhi has rejected an
application made by the appellant to have
what is known as “Mata-ki-Chowki” in a public
park. The appellant has expressly relied upon
earlier orders, including a policy decision,
which permits Ram Leela and Puja to be
allowed once in a year in such public parks.

The appeal raises a question of great
constitutional importance as to whether
such activities can be allowed in state
owned premises in view of our Constitution
being secular in nature. The Hon’ble Chief
Justice is, therefore, requested to
constitute an appropriate Bench to hear the
aforesaid matter ."
(Emphasis supplied)

41

31. In Sunita Tiwari v. Union of India & Ors . {Writ Petition (Civil)
No. 286 of 2017} a Three-Judge Bench of this Court was
considering the question relating to banning the practice of Female
Genital Mutilation (FGM) or Khatna or Female Circumcision (FC) or
Khafd. It was submitted by the senior counsel appearing for the
contesting respondent that the matter should be referred to a larger
Bench for an authoritative pronouncement because the practice is
an essential and integral practice of the religious sect. Learned
Attorney General for India also submitted that it deserves to be
referred to a larger Bench. By Order dated 24.09.2018, the matter
was referred to a larger Bench, the relevant portion of which is as
under:
" Regard being had to the nature of the case,
the impact on the religious sect and many
other concomitant factors, we think it
apposite not to frame questions which shall
be addressed to by the larger Bench. We
also think it appropriate that the larger
Bench may consider the issue in its
entirety from all perspectives .
In view of the aforesaid, we are of the view that
the matter should be placed before a larger
Bench. The Registry is directed to place the
papers of the instant matter before the Hon’ble
Chief Justice of India for obtaining appropriate
directions in this regard."
(Emphasis supplied)

42

32. Considering the Constitutional importance and significance of
the issues involved, the following need to be referred to a larger
Bench:
(a) Whether in the light of Shirur Mutt and other
aforementioned cases, an essential practice can be
decided without a detailed examination of the beliefs,
tenets and practice of the faith in question?
(b) Whether the test for determining the essential practice is
both essentiality and integrality?
(c) Does Article 25, only protect belief and practices of
particular significance of a faith or all practices regarded
by the faith as essential?
(d) Do Articles 15, 25 and 26 (read with Article 14) allow the
comparative significance of faiths to be undertaken?

33. The Registry is directed to place this matter before the Hon'ble
Chief Justice of India for appropriate orders.

…….……………………………J.
(S. ABDUL NAZEER)
New Delhi;
September 27, 2018.