In a significant development, the Supreme Court has temporarily halted the survey ordered by the Allahabad High Court for the 17th-century Shahi Idgah mosque in Mathura. The decision follows a similar assessment conducted at the Gyanvapi Mosque in Varanasi. The Allahabad High Court had appointed a commissioner to carry out the survey, but the Supreme Court paused the order, citing vague purposes.
A bench comprising Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta questioned the clarity of the purpose behind appointing the commissioner, emphasizing the need for specificity in the request. The court stated, “The prayer (for commissioner), it is so vague. It has to be specific. This is wrong; you have to be very clear about what you want him for. You can’t leave everything to the court to look into.”
The Shahi Idgah-Krishna Janmabhoomi dispute has multiple cases pending before the courts, with Hindu petitioners seeking ownership of the land where the mosque stands. Hindu groups claim that the Shahi Idgah mosque was constructed on the remnants of a temple marking Lord Krishna’s birthplace, known as “Krishna Janmabhoomi.”
In December, a local court admitted the plea of Hindu petitioners demanding a survey, prompting a challenge from the Uttar Pradesh Sunni Wakf Board and the Idgah committee in the High Court. The Hindu petitioners are seeking full ownership of the disputed 13.37 acres, alleging that the mosque was built by demolishing the Katra Keshav Dev temple on the site, purportedly under the orders of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb.
The petitioners present lotus carvings on the mosque and shapes resembling the ‘sheshnag’ or the snake demigod in Hindu mythology as evidence. According to their argument, these features indicate that the mosque was constructed over a pre-existing temple. The mosque committee, in response, has invoked the Places of Worship Act of 1991, asserting the preservation of the religious status of any place of worship as it existed on Independence Day, August 15, 1947.
The Supreme Court’s decision to pause the survey order adds another layer to the ongoing legal saga surrounding the Shahi Idgah mosque, as the courts grapple with the complex historical and religious dimensions of the dispute.
Sources By Agencies
