The Allahabad High Court on Saturday rejected a petition filed by the Sambhal mosque committee seeking a stay on the demolition of a mosque constructed on pond and government land in Sambhal district.
The matter was taken up in a special hearing today morning at 10:00 am before a single-judge bench of Justice Dinesh Pathak, which declined to grant any interim relief to the petitioners.
The court directed the petitioners to file an appeal in the trial court for any relief against the demolition. Following this, the High Court dismissed the petition.
This was the second consecutive day the court heard the case during a holiday as a special case. During Friday’s hearing, the court had sought documents related to the mosque land. These documents were submitted by the petitioners on Saturday.
According to the petitioners’ counsel, Arvind Kumar Tripathi, the demolition order was received only after the court’s intervention. He alleged that the administration had begun the demolition drive without issuing a formal order.
The petition filed in the High Court had sought a stay on the demolition of the mosque, a marriage hall, and a hospital, claiming that the structures were under threat. It was filed on behalf of Masjid Sharif Gosulbara Rawan Buzurg and the mosque’s Mutawalli Minjar.
The mosque side counsel argued that the marriage hall had already been demolished and that the administration chose October 2 (Gandhi Jayanti and Dussehra) for the demolition, a day when large crowds were present, which could have led to a major accident or communal riot or tension.
Authorities claim that the marriage hall was built on pond land, while a portion of the mosque stands on government land. The mosque committee, however, stated that it had already demolished the illegal portion manually using hammers.
The state government, the District Magistrate and Superintendent of Police, Sambhal, the Additional District Magistrate (ADM), the Tehsildar, and the Gram Sabha have been made parties to the petition.
Advocates Arvind Kumar Tripathi and Shashank Shri Tripathi appeared for the petitioners, while Chief Standing Counsel JN Maurya and Standing Counsel Ashish Mohan Srivastava represented the state.