The Airport Authority of India (AAI) has stated to the Calcutta High Court that the land on which Kolkata’s 136-year-old Bankra mosque is situated was acquired by the Central Government decades ago; therefore, the mosque committee has no legal claim over the property.
This came in the hearing on a petition by the Bankra Masjid committee, which sought interim relief to allow devotees to offer prayer, more particularly Friday prayers, at the mosque, the PTI reported. The AAI informed the court that the Central Government had acquired the land required for the runway extension and paid compensation to the residents whose land was acquired.
Senior Advocate S N Mukherjee, appearing for AAI as reported by the Indian Express, submitted, “This land has been acquired long ago; there is a notification dated Feb 7, 1961… One can practice their religion but cannot insist that they will do it in a particular place. They are not entitled to any relief, and they do not have any legal right. Where security is involved, there is no natural justice.”
“It was stated that there was a hindrance to flight operations. Take-off and landing were being affected also,” submitted Mukherjee.
“There was no law and order situation when it (prayers) was stopped. A confidential report by an international aviation authority was given in 2024. National security will always override public interest. The Places of Worship Act will not come into play. Basically, the mosque is crossing the runway. As per the topography. This can’t be allowed. On the city side, in Jessore, we provided them land, but they are not ready to move their mosque from the airport area,” Additional Solicitor General Dheeraj Dwivedi, appearing for Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), submitted as highlighted by the Indian Express.
West Bengal Additional Advocate General Billwadal Bhattacharya said that the case was not about converting a place of worship or altering a heritage structure but concerns government-acquired land and airport security. However, the mosque committee has rejected the security concerns, saying no such problem has occurred during the history of the mosque, which is 136 years old. The counsel of the mosque committee said that devotees were earlier allowed to enter following security checks.
Notably, before the restrictions, as many as 70 devotees reportedly prayed at the mosque in different slots after showing their Aadhar cards to CISF personnel.
