SC to hear on July 15 pleas challenging Allahabad HC order imposing ban on DJ

New Delhi: The Supreme Court would hear on July 15 a batch of pleas challenging the August 2019 order of the Allahabad High Court which imposed a blanket ban on operation of DJ services, terming the noise generated by them as “unpleasant” and of “obnoxious level”.

The apex court had in October 2019 stayed the high court”s direction and later, it had said that applications filed by DJ operators will be considered by authorities concerned and if they are in accordance with law, permission may be granted.

The matter came up for hearing before a bench of justices Vineet Saran and Dinesh Maheshwari.

“Counsel for the petitioner is directed to serve a copy of the petition(s) on the standing counsel for the state of Uttar Pradesh and inform him that the matters shall be listed on July 15, 2021,” the bench had said in its July 7 order.

Advocate Dushyant Parashar, who is representing several petitioners in the case, had earlier told the apex court that DJ players used to make their living by offering their services during marriages, birthdays and other ceremonies but due to the blanket ban imposed by the high court, they are unable to take care of their families.

The high court, in its August 20, 2019, order, had passed a slew of directions on a writ petition by taking into account the Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules, 2000, and the apex court”s direction of 2005, which had dealt with implication of noise pollution in day-to-day life of people.

“Under the Rules, 2000, no permission for DJ shall be granted by the authority for the reason that noise generated by DJ is unpleasant and obnoxious level. Even if they are operated at the minimum level of the sound it is beyond permissible limits under the Schedule of the Rules, 2000,” the high court had said in one of its directions.

Among various directions, the high court had directed authorities to set up a toll-free number for citizens to make complaints with regard to playing of loudspeakers, public address systems, DJs or any musical instrument beyond the permissible limit of sound.

In October 2019, the apex court had sought response from the state government on a plea against the high court order.

The top court had also stayed the operation of the high court direction for ban on DJ services.