In a significant development in the Krishna Janmabhoomi-Shahi Idgah Masjid dispute, the Allahabad High Court has ruled that 18 lawsuits filed by Hindu petitioners are maintainable. This decision represents a major setback for the Muslim side in the ongoing legal battle over the disputed site.
The lawsuits seek the removal of the Shahi Idgah Masjid from the 13.37-acre property it shares with the Katra Keshav Dev temple.
The Muslim side contended that the Places of Worship Act, the Limitation Act, and the Specific Relief Act barred the lawsuits, challenging the maintainability of the claims filed by the Hindu parties.
The court ruled that neither the Limitation Act nor the Places of Worship Act, among other statutes, precluded the lawsuits filed by the Hindu parties.
Hindu Sena welcomed the Allahabad High Court’s decision, with national president Vishnu Gupta stating, “Today’s ruling dismisses the Muslim side’s objections in the Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi case. The hearing will now proceed in the Allahabad High Court. This marks a victory for all Sanatanis and Shri Krishna devotees worldwide. Hindu Sena will also file a caveat in the Supreme Court.”
Several lawsuits have been filed seeking the removal of the Shahi Idgah mosque, located adjacent to the Krishna Janmabhoomi temple. The petitioners argue that the mosque, built during the Mughal era under Emperor Aurangzeb, was erected following the demolition of a Hindu temple. Additionally, they have challenged a 1968 agreement between the Shahi Idgah Mosque Committee and the Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi Trust, which permitted the mosque to remain and use the land on which it stands.
The mosque management committee, including the Uttar Pradesh Sunni Central Waqf Board, opposed the lawsuits in their petition, arguing that the proceedings are unenforceable under the Places of Worship Act, 1991.
The Muslim side alleged that the cases explicitly acknowledge that the mosque in question dates from 1669 to 1670.
Taslima Aziz Ahmadi, representing the Muslim side, argued in court that the provisions of the Waqf Board were applicable and that the Waqf tribunal should hear the case. In response, the Hindu plaintiffs contended that there is no government record showing the land as registered under the name Shah Idgah, labeling it as illegal occupancy. They also demanded that the Waqf Board disclose the donor of the disputed property if it is claimed to be Waqf.
A recurring petition in the Hindu side’s litigation seeks the removal of the Shahi Idgah mosque from the 13.37-acre property in Mathura, which it shares with the Katra Keshav Dev temple. The petition also demands that the Hindu parties be granted possession of the Shahi Idgah grounds.
