Bengaluru:  The Karnataka Assembly on Tuesday passed the 2021 Karnataka Religious Structures (Protection) Bill here.
The bill was tabled on Monday in the assembly.

It was brought in the house after the state government received massive flak from the opposition parties and people for demolishing the Mahadevamma temple at Nanjangud on September 8.

The Sangh Parivar also staged protests against the BJP government in Mysuru for demolishing the Mahadevamma temple.

Many BJP leaders including BS Yediyurappa and KS Eshwarappa also urged the government to restrain the demolition of temples in the state.

Responding to the demand, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai issued direction to all deputy commissioners in the state to stop the demolition of temples.

The bill aims to restrict the building of new religious structures in a public place in future.

It defines religious structures as those structures such as temple, church, mosque, Gurudwara, Bodh Vihar, Mazar etc, constructed in a public place without the permission of law.

The bill aims to maintain communal harmony and avoid hurting religious sentiments of the people by protecting the religious structures built before the date of commencement of this Act.

It also aims to restrict unauthorised religious structure and constructions on public places in future.

The bill states that the state won’t provide protection if any case pertaining to the removal of religious places was pending in any court of law.

Further, the bill defines local authorities and public places.

It defines local authority as the local self government constituted by the state government under relevant laws and includes all government-owned, managed or controlled, statutory boards, corporations, companies and committees, among other agencies.

It defines public place as a place belonging to the government and includes any premises belonging to a local authority, or of a government company.