The Allahabad High Court, through a Division Bench comprising Justice J.J. Munir and Justice Arun Kumar, dismissed a petition filed by six shopkeepers from Varanasi's Dalmandi area. The petition challenged a proposed road-widening project linked to the Kashi Vishwanath Corridor, arguing that it would affect religious sites.
The court observed that the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991, does not prohibit the government from acquiring religious properties if it serves a genuine public purpose, thereby allowing development projects even when they involve religious properties.
