Police remove 8 loudspeakers from mosques in Mumbai overnight

Loudspeakers have been removed from eight mosques in Mumbai after a months-long row over their legality and compliance with sound pollution regulations. Locals allege police did not issue any warnings or conduct noise tests.

Residents said that although the loudspeakers were in accordance with the 45-56 decibel upper limit as set by the Bombay High Court, they were removed without any inspection or notification. “This is unfair,” they alleged.

of the sudden police action have emerged, showing officers misbehaving and threatening Muslims for standing in their way.

Bombay HC order on loudspeakers

On January 23 this year, the Bombay High Court passed an order stating that the use of loudspeakers was not an essential part of any religion and instructed the Maharashtra police to ensure compliance with relevant noise pollution regulations.

The bench comprising Justice AS Gadkari and Justice SC Chandak asked the state government to direct religious institutions to adopt mechanisms for controlling noise levels.

Mumbai police order

In the aftermath of the Bombay HC order, Mumbai police issued a notice on May 11 directing all religious sites to relinquish loudspeakers. “Any stakeholders interested in installing loudspeakers would then have to acquire a license, granted after providing documents such as property cards, legal construction proofs, and waqf registration papers,” the order read.

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The recent police action came to light after Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar met cross-party coalition of various Muslim political leaders on June 25. He warned police to follow the due process and urged BJP state vice president Kirit Somaiya to stop his smear campaign against the use of loudspeakers in mosques.

The coalition comprised NCP state president Nawab Malik, party leaders Zeeshan Siddique, Sana Malik and Syed Jalaluddin, Samajwadi Party state president Abu Asim Azmi and All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) national spokesperson Waris Pathan. Maharashtra director general of police (DGP) Rashmi Shukla and Mumbai police commissioner Deven Bharti were also in attendance.

Later, Pathan informed that during the meeting, the Mumbai police commissioner claimed to have removed 1500 loudspeakers across the city.

“We want law and order to be maintained in Maharashtra. Azaan has been heard in the subcontinent for so many years. Syncretism and secularism are the core of India. Why do you only have problems with loudspeakers giving azaan?” he asked.

मुंबई में मस्जिदों से लाउडस्पीकर उतरवाये जाने के मामले में उपमुख्यमंत्री अजीत पवार से मुलाक़ात के बाद AIMIM नेता वारिस पठान… pic.twitter.com/MdAV5KEiyG

— Ashraf Hussain (@AshrafFem) June 26, 2025

Agreeing with Pathan, Abu Azmi said, “One person like Kirit Somaiya has created pressure in Mumbai. They go to police stations and mosques in neighbourhoods that did not vote for them, and say ‘vote jihad has happened’. Is this not targeted harassment?”

मुसलमानों पर अत्याचार हुआ तो उनके हक़ के लिए लड़ूंगा — ऐसा वादा अजित दादा ने किया था। अब मस्जिदों के लाउडस्पीकर को लेकर जो विवाद खड़ा किया जा रहा है, उस पर हम उनसे ठोस कार्रवाई की उम्मीद करते हैं। भाजपा को सारी तकलीफ़ें सिर्फ मुसलमानों से ही क्यों होती हैं?#Loudspeaker #Azan… pic.twitter.com/EWRoHmLLrq

— Abu Asim Azmi (@abuasimazmi) June 25, 2025

Speaking to Siasat.com, the senior Samajwadi Party leader Abu Azmi said, “When people read namaz outside of a mosque due to overcrowding, it leads to rioting and bad mouthing. When roads are shut down every year for Ganesh Chaturthi, where does the outrage go? Does the Constitution not apply in Maharashtra? Why is azaan considered a public nuisance when the state itself provides for other festivals?”

Streamline loudspeaker license

During the meeting with the deputy chief minister, the delegation proposed a one-window licensing policy that would streamline the license-granting process for loudspeakers more transparent.

“Usually, the permission for the process is valid for three months, and it is difficult. We have requested the deputy chief minister to streamline the application process by making it online. The police commissioner assured he would look into the request,” NCP leader Zeeshan Siddique told reporters.

Shedding more light on the meeting, NCP leader and Anushakti Nagar MLA Sana Malik told Siasat.com that they requested the Mumbai police commissioner to grant leniency, but the latter asked them to approach the court. “Residential areas normally witness pollution with decibels reaching as high as 70. When we requested the police commissioner to grant some 10-15 decibels leniency, he asked us to approach the Bombay HC and secure a court order,” she said, adding, the Maharashtra government plans to replace the older ones with 10×16 inch loudspeakers.

Malik alleged that loudspeakers are being seized from gurudwaras and temples, but the Muslim community is being specifically targeted.

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