UK: Peterborough council denies sale of Hindu temple to mosque is ‘unlawful’

LONDON: Peterborough city council argued at the high court here on Monday that its decision to sell a complex housing a Hindu temple to a Muslim association to redevelop it as a mosque and Islamic centre was “not unlawful”.Catherine Rowlands, representing the council, said the fact the Hindu community would lose the only temple they had in a 35-mile radius did not make the decision to sell the New England Complex to the UK Islamic Mission (UKIM) — who plan to build Masjid Khadijah there — illegal, nor was it a breach of public sector equality duty.“Protected characteristics (eg Hindu faith) need to be taken into consideration when reaching a decision, but do not dictate a decision,” Rowlands said, pointing out the Hindus were protected by tenancy rights until the site was redeveloped, at which point they would be evicted.“It is the council’s position that the Hindu community is valued…