The historic August Kranti Maidan did not witness the annual gathering of the Muslim community to offer the Bakri Eid namaz for the second year due to the denial of permission from the local police. While the state’s cultural affairs secretary failed to decide on the issue before the festival according to the direction of the Bombay High Court, the community hopes that they will get a favourable decision before the next Ramadan Eid.

The Free Press Journal reported on Friday that the Bombay High Court directed Maharashtra’s secretary of the Cultural Affairs Ministry to decide a representation seeking permission to hold Bakri Eid namaz at Mumbai’s historic August Kranti Maidan. As the official failed to decide on the issue within the day, as suggested by the court, the community was not allowed to offer the prayers at the historic ground.

The petition was filed by the namaaz coordinator Umer Abdul Jabbar Gopalani, through Advocate Husen Shaikh, who challenged the Gamdevi police’s refusal to grant permission for mass prayers at the ground citing potential law and order and possible traffic congestion issues. He contended that namaaz has been performed at the Maidan for over 50 years without any incidents and that this year should be no different. “If the permission is granted to the petitioner, the petitioner will take all necessary precautions to avoid law and order situations,” his plea stated.

Since the ground is a protected monument, the community used to apply for permission from Gamdevi police, Tardeo traffic police, Byculla fire brigade and the D ward of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation. However, since one of them denied permission, the coordinator moved the Bombay High Court, which observed that the final authority for granting permission lies with the secretary of the Cultural Affairs and Social Justice department. Since any decision was not made on this issue on Friday, the community could not hold the prayer at the ground.

However, this was not the first time that the police denied permission for mass prayers at the ground. Earlier, the local police had denied permission for Ramzan Eid this year and for Ramadan as well as Bakri Eid in 2024. Gopalani, who has been coordinating the mass prayers at the ground for every Eid festival since the last 15 years, said that the community is hopeful that the secretary of the Cultural Affairs ministry will give a favourable decision before the next Ramadan Eid.

Talking to The Free Press Journal, Gopalani said, “We were in the police station till 10pm last night but the police did not give permission. They asked us to get a no-objection certificate from the archaeology department for them to provide permission. This was the fourth time we were denied permission during the eleventh hour. They have been giving law and order excuses whereas I have not seen any law and order issues during the mass prayers during my lifetime.”

A police official from Gamdevi Police Station said, “We did not grant permission for namaz at August Kranti Ground in order to maintain law and order. Permission was denied last year as well, and the same decision continues this year.”

With inputs from FPJ reporter Megha Kuchik