Mumbai Mosques Protest Police 'Harassment' Over Loudspeaker Rules, Plan Legal Pushback

Mosques in Mumbai have been asked to campaign against alleged harassment by the police after the Bombay High Court's order on illegal sound levels from loudspeakers used to broadcast azaan or the call for prayers.

On January 25, 2025, the Bombay High Court said that rules on noise pollution cannot be violated by places of worship, including mosques. The Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules, 2000, allow noise levels up to 55 decibels during the day and 45 dB at night in residential areas. Noise from loudspeakers can vary between 75 and 200 dB. Mosque trustees said that while they will follow the court ruling, they believe that the police are not following the prescribed penal procedure and are arbitrarily seizing loudspeakers. There are also allegations that politicians are pressuring the police to file cases against mosques.

Yusuf Ansari of the Hazrat Khwaja Garib Nawaz Maharashtra Committee said that the legal procedure requires the police to send two notices to the shrine before levying a penalty of Rs 5000 if the rules continue to be violated after the notices. "If the mosques continue to break the rules after the notice and penalty, the loudspeakers can be seized. However, there are complaints that the police are seizing the equipment without following the procedure," said Ansari.

According to one estimate, 40 to 50 mosques have allegedly lost their loudspeakers due to police action. There are an estimated 2000 mosques in the city.  Ansari said mosques have been asked to collect signatures to petition the courts. "An average azaan lasts between three and five minutes. Mosques are careful to keep sound levels low if Hindu localities are nearby. In areas where Muslims are a majority, the noise should not be a problem. Our main contention is that the court order was given in response to a complaint about five mosques in the Kurla-Nehru Nagar area. The majority of mosques did not get an opportunity to voice their point of view. This is a religious issue; there should be some consideration," said Ansari.