The Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991

(1) This Act may be called the Places of Worship(Special Provisions) Act, 1991. (2) It extends to the whole of India except the State of Jammu and Kashmir*. (3) The provisions of sections 3, 6 and 8 shall come into force at once and the remaining provisions ofthis Act shall be deemed to have come into force on the 11th day of July, 1991.

In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires, (a)“commencement of this Act” means the commencement of this Act on the 11th day of July, 1991; (b) “conversion”, with its grammatical variations, includes alteration or change of whatever nature; (c) “place of worship” means a temple, mosque, gurudwara, church, monastery or any other place of public religious worship of any religious denomination or any section thereof, by whatever name called.

No person shall convert any place of worship of anyreligious denomination or any section thereof into a place of worship of a different section of the samereligious denomination or of a different religious denomination or any section thereof.

(1) It is hereby declared that the religious character of a place of worship existing on the15th day of August, 1947 shall continue to be the same as it existed on that day. (2) If, on the commencement of this Act, any suit, appeal or other proceeding with respect to theconversion of the religious character of any place of worship, existing on the 15th day of August, 1947, ispending before any court, tribunal or other authority, the same shall abate, and no suit, appeal or otherproceeding with respect to any such matter shall lie on or after such commencement in any court, tribunalor other authority: Provided that if any suit, appeal or other proceeding, instituted or filed on the ground that conversionhas taken place in the religious character of any such place after the 15th day of August, 1947, is pendingon the commencement of this Act, such suit, appeal or other proceeding shall be disposed of inaccordance with the provisions of sub-section (1). (3) Nothing contained in sub-section (1) and sub-section (2) shall apply to, (a) any place of worship referred to in the said sub-sections which is an ancient and historicalmonument or an archaeological site or remains covered by the Ancient Monuments andArchaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958 (24 of 1958) or any other law for the time being inforce; (b) any suit, appeal or other proceeding, with respect to any matter referred to in sub-section (2),finally decided, settled or disposed of by a court, tribunal or other authority before thecommencement of this Act; (c) any dispute with respect to any such matter settled by the parties amongst themselves beforesuch commencement; (d) any conversion of any such place effected before such commencement by acquiescence; (e) any conversion of any such place effected before such commencement which is not liable tobe challenged in any court, tribunal or other authority being barred by limitation under any law for thetime being in force.

Nothing contained in this Act shallapply to the place or place of worship commonly known as Ram Janma Bhumi-Babri Masjid situated inAyodhya in the State of Uttar Pradesh and to any suit, appeal or other proceeding relating to the said placeor place of worship.