Make written consent must for using loudspeakers at religious places: Punjab and Haryana HC

CHANDIGARH: To curb noise pollution in the region, the Punjab and Haryana high court has directed Punjab, Haryana and Union Territory of Chandigarh to ensure that no loudspeaker or public address system shall be used by any person, including religious bodies, in temples, mosques and gurdwaras without written permission of the authorities. Such restriction shall be applicable even during day time, that too, by getting an undertaking that the noise level shall not exceed more than 10dB (A) peripheral noise level.
HC further directed both the states and the UT to ensure that loudspeaker, public address system, musical instrument and sound amplifier are not played during night time except in auditoria, conference rooms, community halls, banquet halls as per norms laid down under the Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules, 2000.

A division bench comprising Justie Rajiv Sharma and Justice H S Sidhu has passed these orders while disposing of a bunch of petition related to the noise pollution and violence caused due to nudity.
The bench also directed all the senior superintendents of police (SPs) of both states and UT Chandigarh to ensure that no horn shall be blown in silence zone or during the night time between 10 pm to 6 am in residential areas except during public emergency. No sound emitting construction equipments shall be used or operated during the night time between 10 pm to 6 am in residential areas or silence zone.
HC further directed the authorities to ensure that motorcycles throughout Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh are duly fitted with silencers to avoid noise pollution and menace.
Further touching the issue of vulgarity and violence spread due to songs, the HC has asked the DGPs of both states and Chandigarh to ensure that no songs are played glorifying the liquor, wine, drugs and violence in any song even in live shows.
Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh are also directed that no child below the age of 12 years is permitted to enter cinema halls/ multiplexes, where ‘A’ certificate films are screened.
The district administration is directed to ensure that nude posters, semi-nude posters, obscene posters should not be fixed/ displayed in any district near the educational institutions in the States of Punjab, Haryana and Union Territory, Chandigarh.
HC has also made it clear that the no loudspeakers are permitted 15 days before the annual examinations and during the course of examinations.
Court also clarified that the district magistrates and the SSPs of both the states and the UT Chandigarh shall be personally responsible to ensure due compliance of these directions. The copy of the order has been sent to the chief secretaries of both the states of Punjab, Haryana and the home secretary, Union Territory of Chandigarh, for compliance.
The bench has passed these orders while accepting the suggestion of committee headed by senior advocate M L Sarin. Other members of the committee include senior advocates Reeta Kohli and Akshay Bhan, law officers from Haryana and Punjab—Deepak Balyan and Sheerish Gupta—and the counsel for UT administration Pankaj Jain.