# Allahabad High Court: Places of Worship Act does not bar state land grab 2026-08-08T00:06:26+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet The Allahabad High Court has ruled that the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991 only prohibits conversion of a place's religious character, not the state from acquiring such property for secular, public purposes. A bench of Justices J J Munir and Arun Kumar dismissed a petition challenging the widening and beautification of Dalmandi in Varanasi, part of the Kashi Vishwanath corridor project. The court held that the Act's bar on conversion of religious character does not extend to compulsory acquisition for legitimate public works. The petitioners had argued the acquisition would alter the area's religious character. The ruling allows the Uttar Pradesh government to proceed with the project on land that includes properties adjacent to the temple complex. ## Coverage - livelaw.in - livelaw.in Tags: Allahabad High Court, criminal revision, judicial review, LiveLaw, Supreme Court Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/supreme-court-reviews-allahabad-hc-criminal-revision-order/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/supreme-court-reviews-allahabad-hc-criminal-revision-order/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes.