By Akhilesh Tripathi
LUCKNOW: Even as the Allahabad High Court continues to hear 19 petitions related to the Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi versus Shahi Eidgah Mosque case in Mathura, Mahant Nritya Gopal Das, the President of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, has agreed to testify as a witness. His involvement raises questions, particularly since he is not a resident of Mathura. Ultimately, it will be up to the High Court to determine whether his testimony is permissible.
The decision to involve Mahant Nritya Gopal Das in the Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi case appears to be strategic. Sources connected to the case suggest that since none of the existing individuals involved has significant public influence, the inclusion of Mahant Nritya Gopal Das, a well-known figure, is intended to draw greater public attention and exert political pressure on the government and administration.
Those close to Mahant Nritya Gopal Das speculate that he may even consider launching a public movement similar to the Ram Janmabhoomi movement to rally support for the Mathura case. This possibility gains weight given the upcoming assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, scheduled for February 2027. The BJP, facing challenges after its poor performance in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, may rely on emotionally charged and divisive issues like the Mathura and Varanasi disputes to sway voters.
With internal tensions reportedly brewing between the Yogi Adityanath and Narendra Modi factions within the BJP, Yogi Adityanath may seek to capitalize on these issues to strengthen his position ahead of the state elections. While this tactic has proven successful for the BJP in the past, it did not yield the desired results in the recent Lok Sabha elections, where the party lost a significant number of seats.
Meanwhile, on August 28, a new case was filed by Prashant Rao Kandhoray of Lucknow and Brajesh Tiwari of Deoria, adding to the 18 existing cases pending before the Allahabad High Court. They have named Thakur Keshavdev Maharaj as the main plaintiff and are challenging the 1967 agreement over one acre of land between the Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi Seva Sangh and the Shahi Eidgah Committee. Mahendra Pratap Singh, an advocate who has long been involved in the legal battle, is one of the key figures in this case.
However, Singh recently expressed concerns about his ability to effectively represent the case. To bolster their position, he persuaded Mahant Nritya Gopal Das to testify. On August 27, Mahant Nritya Gopal Das arrived in Mathura, where he met with Singh and agreed to provide either written or oral testimony in the High Court.
With Mahant Nritya Gopal Das’s consent, a list of witnesses will now be submitted to the High Court, moving the case forward. The issues under consideration in the Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi case are expected to be addressed by the High Court on September 4. After that, the witness list will be filed, and testimony will begin.
Mahendra Pratap Singh hopes that the involvement of Mahant Nritya Gopal Das, a prominent leader who played a crucial role in the Ram Temple movement in Ayodhya, will bring increased attention and pressure to the Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi case. Should the need arise, Singh believes that Mahant Nritya Gopal Das could lead an agitation for the liberation of Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi, potentially garnering support from the BJP and both the central and Uttar Pradesh governments.
