The Allahabad High Court on Thursday, July 2, held that the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991, protects the religious character of places of worship but does not bar the state from acquiring such properties for a genuine public purpose, such as road widening or infrastructure development.A division bench of Justice JJ Munir and Justice Arun Kumar made the observation while dismissing a petition filed by six Muslim shopkeepers from Varanasi’s Dalmandi area, who had challenged a proposed road widening project linked to the Kashi Vishwanath Corridor.The court, however, noted that it had chosen to examine the legal question since the petitioners had strongly argued that the Places of Worship Act operated as an “all-time shield” against acquisition. Clarifying the scope of its ruling, the bench said its observations would not affect the rights of the state, the Waqf Board or the mutawallis of the mosques to pursue appropriate remedies in future proceedings