 "Sonu Nigam")
Not everyone is having a great start to the week this Monday it seems. Sonu Nigam sure is one person who is not happy with being woken up early by loudspeakers blaring the Azaan from a mosque and his tweet has created the proverbial storm in the Indian Twitter cup.
At 5:25 am today morning, Sonu tweeted
God bless everyone. I'm not a Muslim and I have to be woken up by the Azaan in the morning. When will this forced religiousness end in India
— Sonu Nigam (@sonunigam) April 16, 2017
At last count the Tweet had been retweeted more than 2100 times and Twitter can’t stop dissing the use of loudspeakers at Mosques, Temples or for any religious function
But Sonu Nigam didn't just stop there
And by the way Mohammed did not have electricity when he made Islam.. Why do I have to have this cacophony after Edison?
— Sonu Nigam (@sonunigam) April 17, 2017
And no, he didn’t just single out Mosques for using loudspeakers
I don't believe in any temple or gurudwara using electricity To wake up people who don't follow the religion . Why then..? Honest? True?
— Sonu Nigam (@sonunigam) April 17, 2017
While some took offence at his tweets, others added that loudspeakers at all religious places were a problem and ought to be shut down.
Don't want to hear the Azaan at dawn, nor do I want to hear a Chikni Chameli tuned Ganesh Aarti at dusk. Ban ALL loudspeakering of religion. https://t.co/BVu1Nb6mKR
— Apurva Asrani (@Apurvasrani) April 17, 2017
The use of loudspeakers at religious places has often attracted public criticism with people even calling for a ban. They are often the reason for communal riots as well. In 2014, an Indian Express investigation found out that loudspeakers were the reason for a quarter of the nearly 400 riots preceding bypolls in 12 areas in UP.
In 2015, the Supreme Court had refused to hear a PIL calling for a ban on the use of loudspeakers at all religious places. The bench comprising then Chief Justice H L Dattu and justices A K Sikri and R K Agrawal said had said “"There are directions in place. This court had given them”. The SC had banned the use of cone-shaped speakers in 2005 but the law had not been complied with in many places. In 2016, Madras HC had directed the state government to ensure that the 2005 ban on cone-shaped loudspeakers was implemented in the state.
Is it time for the courts to relook at the issue? Well, perhaps Sonu could help them decide.
In 2015, the Supreme Court had refused to hear a PIL calling for a ban on the use of loudspeakers at all religious places. The bench comprising then Chief Justice H L Dattu and justices A K Sikri and R K Agrawal said had said “"There are directions in place. This court had given them”. The SC had banned the use of cone-shaped speakers in 2005 but the law had not been complied with in many places. In 2016, Madras HC had directed the state government to ensure that the 2005 ban on cone-shaped loudspeakers was implemented in the state.
Is it time for the courts to relook at the issue? Well, perhaps Sonu could help them decide.
