Allahabad High Court Dismisses Muslim Side’s Plea in Sambhal Mosque Demolition Case
Lucknow, 4 October – (www.deccanlive.com): The Allahabad High Court has dismissed a petition filed by the Muslim side in the Sambhal mosque demolition case, dealing a major setback to the mosque management committee. The court directed the petitioners to approach the trial court for further appeal.
The case pertains to the demolition order of a mosque, a community hall (Baraat Ghar), and a hospital allegedly built on government land and a pond area in Sambhal, western Uttar Pradesh. The High Court rejected the mosque committee’s plea challenging the demolition order and upheld the lower court’s earlier decision.
The single-judge bench of Justice Dinesh Pathak delivered the verdict, instructing the petitioners to move their appeal to the appropriate trial court.
During the hearing, the mosque management committee was represented by advocates Arvind Kumar Tripathi and Shashank Tripathi, while the state government was represented by Chief Standing Counsel J.N. Maurya and Standing Counsel Ashish Mohan Srivastava.
The mosque committee had requested a stay on the demolition order, informing the court that the community hall had already been torn down. After hearing arguments from both sides, the High Court dismissed the plea and advised the petitioners to seek relief through the trial court.
A day before the verdict, the High Court had asked the mosque committee to submit land ownership documents related to the disputed site. The documents were presented to the court on the following day.
Considering potential law and order and security concerns during the demolition process, the court directed the trial court to supervise the implementation of its orders to ensure safety and compliance.
This ruling is seen as a major blow to the mosque administration, which had hoped the High Court would intervene to halt the demolition.
