Mumbai: Security is our main concern, said Bombay high court on Thursday while declining to direct govt or Mumbai International Airport Authority (MIAL) to give any specific site to members of a taxi and autorickshaw drivers’ union for namaz during Ramzan at or near the city airport.A report signed by various authorities, including senior police officers, senior security officers from Anti-Terrorism Squad and MIAL, which was submitted by state lawyer Jyoti Chavan, said it was not possible to allow prayers at seven sites, either due to security concerns or problems of space or because development work was underway. The union members cannot claim to have a religious right to offer namaz at any place, especially in the vicinity of an airport where security concerns are high, said a bench of Justices B P Colabawalla and F P Pooniwalla. “We are not experts in security. What we say with the stroke of our pen may have huge repercussions…” Justice Colabawalla said orally. He said the report was signed by six senior officials who examined seven different sites to see if they could be accommodated for offering namaz. “We can’t say all of them are wrong…” “Once faced with this report… we are unable to pass any order even for a temporary place for prayer, even for Ramzan,” HC said. There are no mosques in the vicinity, said advocate S B Talekar, who appeared for one of the petitioners.The bench said, “Maybe in the future, when the airport terminal is redeveloped, then space can be allotted so that this problem does not persist,” since it noted that taxi and auto drivers provide service to travellers daily. The petition was filed by the Taxi-Rickshaw Ola-Uber Men’s Union, which said a temporary shed near the city airport was demolished last year by the authorities and sought that the same space or some other space be made available to members.
