No 'namaz' at Taj Mahal Mosque, SC to non-locals; says monument’s preservation is paramount

The Supreme Court barred non-locals from performing ‘Namaz’ (Islamic prayer) at the mosque on the premises of the Taj Mahal, saying the monument’s preservation is paramount. Locals were not stopped from the prayer at the same mosque.

The apex court said that the Taj Mahal is one of the Seven Wonders of the World and it must be preserved, adding that there is no need to perform prayers at the Taj Mahal.

On 24 January this year, the district administration ordered that only locals with valid identity proof will be allowed to enter the monument complex to offer ‘namaz’ on Friday. The administration took this action to ensure foolproof security to the Taj Mahal.

The district magistrate order was challenged in the top court by a petitioner. The court held the magistrate order citing the preservation of the monuments.

The district administration also issued order that people entering the premises of the Taj for offering prayers on Fridays will have to show their identity cards in order to prove that they are residents of Agra. The Taj Mahal remains closed for tourists on Fridays.

The administration’s orders came after it received the complaints that ‘outsider’ enter the Taj Mahal complex on Fridays on the pretext of offering ‘namaz’.

“Now, we will allow only residents of Agra city to offer namaz at the mosque located inside the Taj Mahal complex,” said Agra district magistrate Guarav Dayal.

Similar orders were issued in 2013 by the Archaeological Survey of India but these were not implemented properly, said an official.

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