A mosque and a madrasa in Khujhauli village near Lucknow could face eviction after a revenue court initiated proceedings over allegations that parts of the two structures stand on land recorded as a pond in government records.
The case is being heard by a revenue court in Mohanlalganj, on the outskirts of Uttar Pradesh’s capital. Notices have been issued to four people managing the religious institutions, directing them to appear before the court on October 29 and submit their response to the allegations. The dispute centres on around 300 square metres of land that officials say is classified as a pond. A government inquiry reportedly found that permanent structures associated with the mosque and madrasa cover approximately 0.03 hectares of the disputed area.
The proceedings were initiated under Section 67 of the Uttar Pradesh Revenue Code, 2006, which provides for action against unauthorised occupation of certain categories of public land. According to local revenue officials, the matter came to their attention after villagers filed a complaint through the state government’s grievance portal, alleging that portions of the two religious institutions had been built on land reserved for a pond. A revenue inspector and a local land records official subsequently inspected the site and reported that structures occupied part of the disputed land.
The October 29 hearing will give the four individuals responsible for managing the institutions an opportunity to submit documents and contest the findings. No final order for eviction or demolition has been issued so far. The proceedings concern only the disputed portion of land. They do not establish that the entire mosque or madrasa has been built on government property.
The case comes against the backdrop of controversy over action against Muslim religious properties in Uttar Pradesh, where the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), led nationally by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is in power.
In a separate matter, authorities recently demolished a mosque located within a government administrative complex in Saharanpur after a local court upheld an order declaring the structure an unauthorised occupation of public land.
The demolition prompted objections from Muslim organisations and political leaders, who questioned whether the mosque’s management had received an adequate opportunity to contest the action. Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, a leading Muslim organisation, also questioned the circumstances surrounding the demolition. The organisation said it was examining historical land records and other legal documents to assess what further action could be taken.
Former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati criticised what she described as the hurried demolition of mosques and called on authorities to follow established legal procedures and respect religious institutions. These objections relate to the Saharanpur demolition, a separate case from the proceedings in Khujhauli. However, both matters have drawn attention to disputes over Muslim religious properties and the process followed by authorities when seeking to remove structures alleged to occupy public land.
The outcome of the Khujhauli case will depend on the evidence presented before the revenue court, including the land records and the mosque and madrasa management’s response to the allegations. The October 29 hearing is the next step in the proceedings, with no final decision on eviction having been taken.
This article was prepared with AI assistance and is based on information available in the public domain.
