Allahabad HC Orders Survey Of Mosque In Mathura Krishna Janmabhoomi-Shahi Idgah Case

The Allahabad High Court has rejected the arguments of the Idgah committee and the Waqf board, who had opposed the survey and claimed that the mosque was built on vacant land.

New Delhi: The Allahabad High Court has accepted the petition of the Hindu side in the case of Mathura Krishna Janmabhoomi and Shahi Idgah, paving the way for a court commission survey of the mosque premises. The High Court has rejected the arguments of the Idgah committee and the Waqf board, who had opposed the survey and claimed that the mosque was built on vacant land.

The case pertains to the disputed site in Mathura, where the Hindu side claims that the Shahi Idgah mosque was constructed by demolishing a temple dedicated to Lord Krishna, who is believed to have been born there.

The Hindu side had filed a suit in the Mathura district court in 2020, seeking the removal of the mosque and the restoration of the temple. The suit was based on a 2019 Supreme Court verdict that allowed the construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya, where a similar dispute had existed for decades.

The district court had dismissed the suit, citing the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991, which bars any change in the religious character of any place of worship as it existed on August 15, 1947.

The Hindu side had challenged the district court’s order in the Allahabad High Court, which has now given a favourable verdict and ordered a court commission survey of the mosque complex.

The survey will be conducted by a team of experts, including archaeologists, historians, and engineers, who will examine the structural and historical aspects of the site. The survey report will be submitted to the High Court, which will then decide the fate of the mosque and the temple.

The verdict of the Allahabad High Court has been welcomed by the Hindu side, who have expressed confidence that the survey will prove their claim. The Idgah committee and the Waqf board have expressed disappointment and said that they will challenge the verdict in the Supreme Court.

The case has also sparked a political debate, with the ruling BJP supporting the Hindu side and the opposition parties accusing the BJP of using the issue for electoral gains.