SC is loud and clear on noise pollution

What is the News?

The Supreme Court judgments which govern the use of loudspeakers were intended to protect citizens from becoming “forced audience” to noise.

What are the key observations from Supreme Court’s judgments on loudspeakers?

Freedom from Noise Pollution under Article 21

Re​​gulating the use of loudspeakers and timings was based on the legal principle that freedom from noise pollution is a part of the Right to Life under Article 21 of the Constitution.

Disturbance to Neighbours

Nobody from any religion can claim a right to create noise even on his own premises which would travel beyond his precincts and cause a nuisance to neighbours or others.

Loudspeakers in Religious Practices

On the use of loudspeakers in religious practices, the Supreme Court reproduced parts of a newspaper column which said the objective of any religion was not to force anyone to listen to its expressions of faith.

Hence, the logic that loudspeakers are not a must to spread religious devotion appealed to it.

Source: The post is based on the article “SC is loud and clear on noise pollution” published in The Hindu on 5th May 2022.