Mathura Court Says Lawsuit To Remove Shahi Idgah Masjid Is Justifiable

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India Tomorrow

NEW DELHI—After the authorities in Varanasi sealed the wuzukhana (ablution pond) of the Gyanvapi mosque on the orders of a local court there, Mathura Sessions Court on Thursday said that the lawsuit to seek removal of Shahi Idgah Masjid from its current premises, is maintainable.

The lawsuit was filed in the Sessions Court in October 2020, challenging the order of a civil court judge that had dismissed an application requesting to remove Shahi Idgah Masjid. Thje civil judge(senior division) had dismissed the petition in September 2020.

The applicant had alleged that the Shahi Idgah Masjid is the real birthplace of Hindu deity Srikrishna. The applicant had alleged that the Masjid was built on the Srikrishna Janma Bhoomi. The Idgah mosque is spread over 13.37 acres of land.

(The courts in Varanasi and Mathura entertained petitions seeking to change the character of the mosques despite The Place of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991, being in force. The 1991 Act prohibits “conversion of any place of worship” and provides “for the maintenance of the religious character of any place of worship as it existed on the 15th day of August 1947, and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto”.)

A Shri Krishna temple complex is located adjacent to the mosque.

The civil appeal in October 2020 was filed by ‘Bhagwan Srikrishna Virajman,’ through his next friend Ranjana Agnihotri and six devotees.

The appellants in their civil suit asserted that the civil judge was wrong in dismissing their appeal. They submitted that they have the right to perform worship at the actual birthplace of Srikrishna under Article 25 of the Constitution.

Earlier, on May 17, two advocates-Mahendra Pratap Singh and Rajendra Maheshwari-moved an application before a local court in Mathura, demanding that the Idgah mosque be sealed. The appellants also demanded banning any kind of movement within the Idgah and increasing the security of the premises. The next hearing in the case is scheduled on July 1.

On May 13, one Manish Yadav moved an application before Civil Judge (senior division), Mathura, seeking the appointment of a court commissioner for an inspection of Shahi Idgah Masjid on the pattern of the Gyanvapi Masjid inspection.

Meanwhile, the national treasurer of All India Hindu Mahasabha Dines Kaushik has moved an application before Civil Judge (senior division), seeking permission to consecrate “Laddu Gopal” inside the Shahi Idgah Masjid and perform ‘pooja paath’ there.

The courts in Varanasi and Mathura entertained petitions seeking to change the character of the mosques despite The Place of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991, being in force. The 1991 Act prohibits “conversion of any place of worship” and provides “for the maintenance of the religious character of any place of worship as it existed on the 15th day of August 1947, and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto”.

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