Union home minister Amit Shah stated that no law is above judicial review before the Supreme Court's deadline of December 12 for the Centre to explain its position on the Places of Worship Act, 1991.
Shah declined to comment specifically on the law that was passed in response to the campaign for the Ram Mandir and that has been contested on the grounds that it violates the right to freedom of religion and worship when asked what the government's position was on the Places of Worship Act, which has frozen the character of all places of worship as they were on August 15, 1947.
“After the Ayodhya judgment, a few more disputes have cropped up and the law enacted in 1991 has also been challenged. I should not speak about these issues from a public platform because these are sub judice. However, I must say that every law should pass the legal scrutiny,” he said during the Times Now Summit on the theme "India: Vibrant Democracy, Global Bright Spot".
Shah also dealt with the sensitive issues of Uniform Civil Code, stressing that the country might have it by 2024 but there would be a healthy and open debate on the subject, as well as the CAA and NRC.
On the CAA-NRC, Shah refuted the claim that the legislation change - which caused irate protests - to provide citizenship to those who have suffered religious persecution in the Islamic neighbouring nations of Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan has been put on ice.
He disagreed with the suggestion that the continuing resistance means that there would be no progress on UCC. He said the promise would be fulfilled after 2024. "We alone will form the government in 2024," he said, adding that it is very possible that by then two/thirds of the states may well enact their versions of UCC. "In such a situation, Parliament will have to ponder its course of action and what was left for it to do," he said.
