Karnataka Hajj and Waqf Minister Anand Singh on Wednesday said there is no need for Azan to be played on the loudspeaker throughout the day. Informing that a PIL has been filed in Karnataka High Court over disturbance due to mosque Azan on loudspeakers, the minister said, "There is a PIL in the high court that there is disturbance due to Azan. The Cops will go and regularise it. This is nothing against any religion or community. There is no necessity to give Azan in a mosque on loudspeakers throughout the day.”
Implementation will be done once after consulting all stakeholders, the Haj and Waf minister added.
Earlier today, a day after the Karnataka State Board of Auqaf issued a circular to all the mosques and dargahs in the state not to use loudspeakers between 10 pm and 6 am, an official said there was no pressure from the BJP-led state government.
The circular was issued based on guidelines advertised by Karnataka State Pollution Control and citing the Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules, 2000, the officials said. He said there are limitations regarding the sound emanating from the loudspeakers in public places.
The Waqf board issued the circular on March 8. It reads, "The loudspeakers shall not be used at night time, which shall mean from 10 pm to 6 am."
"Whoever uses sound amplifiers or burst sound-emitting firecrackers, uses a loudspeaker or public address system in a silence zone is liable for penalty under the provisions of the Environment (Protection) Act-1986," the circular read.
"It is observed that increasing the ambient noise level around many Masjid and Dargahs due to generator sets, loudspeakers and public address systems have deleterious effects on human health and the psychological well-being of people," the order noted.