Overview
- The Division Bench granted leave to file a public interest litigation on Monday and directed the petition be served and heard on Thursday.
- Petitioners say police removed microphones and loudspeakers from mosques across West Bengal on verbal orders from Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari and cited a 1996 decibel‑limit judgment as legal precedent.
- The state and police say the measures cover all religious places and have defended restrictions on grounds of public order, while the court criticised police for sending last‑minute denials of rally permission on a Friday evening.
- A single‑judge bench allowed a Jamiat‑e‑Ulama rally to proceed on Tuesday under tight conditions that include a 750‑person cap, a ban on loudspeakers and use of only hand‑held microphones, a fixed route, and set timings.
- The court hearings will test whether oral administrative orders meet legal standards and could affect worship practices that rely on amplified sound while shaping how authorities handle protest permissions and public‑order claims.