On Monday, the Supreme Court ordered the removal of a mosque from the premises of the Allahabad High Court within three months. The court held that the structure stood on a terminated lease property and dismissed a petition filed by Waqf Masjid High Court and UP Sunni Central Waqf Board against a November 2017 order of the Allahabad High Court.
The bench, led by Justice MR Shah and including Justice CT Ravikumar, allowed the petitioners to make a representation to the Uttar Pradesh Government for allotment of land nearby for the mosque. Earlier, it had directed the parties to arrive at a consensus on where the mosque should be relocated.
Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, representing the petitioners, said that the mosque has been there since the 1950s and that it cannot be just asked to move out. However, senior advocate Rakesh Dwivedi, representing the high court, argued that the land on which the mosque stood was a lease property that had been terminated, and that it was a case of complete fraud.
The high court had told the Supreme Court that it did not have an alternative plot of land to relocate the mosque and that the state may consider shifting it to another area as there was already a shortage of space for parking. The Supreme Court’s order allows authorities, including the high court, to remove or demolish the structure if it is not removed within three months.
The Chenab Times News Desk