Religious places violators of noise pollution norms, Bengaluru top cop tells court

After the Karnataka High Court’s repeated intervention, the Bengaluru city police have finally begun acting on complaints against noise pollution.

In an affidavit submitted before the court, City Police Commissioner Kamal Pant said in 11 complaints of noise pollution received from the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB), the jurisdictional police initiated an enquiry and also filed a complaint before the court.

Police have been taking action under the Environment Protection Act and Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules, 2000.

Complaints about noise above the permissible decibel levels were from religious places, the affidavit revealed, adding that the KSPCB had trained police staff in all stations to operate noise-measuring equipment in October. The equipment has been given to all law and order police stations to measure noise levels.

“In respect of the conduct of the police, all station house officer (SHO) are instructed to implement the provision under the Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules, 2000 and file complaints under Section 15 of Environment Protection Act, 1986 in the event of any violation of rules,” the affidavit said.

A division bench headed by Chief Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka directed the police commissioner to submit an additional affidavit with regard to the claim that the Assistant Commissioners of Police (ACP) in commissionerates are authorised to take action under Section 19 of the Environment Protection Act pertaining to noise pollution norms.

The bench asked the commissioner to submit the notification that Deputy Superintendents of Police (DySP) posted in commissionerates are referred to as ACPs.

Violation of rights

Filed by Bengaluru-based social activist Girish Bharadwaj, the public interest litigation petition claimed that usage of noise-polluting instruments such as loudspeakers in religious places, beyond the permissible limit and without obtaining prior permission from the authorities, has resulted in the violation of the fundamental rights of citizens.