SC to Hear Plea in Mathura’s Krishna Janmabhoomi-Shahi Idgah Dispute on Dec 9

GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 29th Nov. The Supreme Court on Friday scheduled a detailed hearing for December 9 on the petition filed by the Shahi Masjid Idgah management committee. The petition challenges the Allahabad High Court’s rejection of its plea contesting the maintainability of 18 cases filed by Hindu litigants concerning the Krishna Janmabhoomi-Shahi Idgah dispute in Mathura.

A bench led by Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar noted that the matter required a comprehensive examination. “We will hear this at length. We have to decide what is the legal position,” remarked the CJI.

The controversy involves claims by Hindu litigants that the Aurangzeb-era mosque was constructed by demolishing a Krishna temple. They have sought the removal of the mosque, citing historical evidence. The mosque committee, however, argues that the lawsuits violate the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991, which prohibits altering the religious character of any shrine as of August 15, 1947, except for the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid case.

The Allahabad High Court had ruled on August 1 that determining the “religious character” of the disputed site through oral and documentary evidence was necessary. It also clarified that the cases were not barred by the Places of Worship Act or other legal provisions.

Hindu counsel Vishnu Shankar Jain welcomed the high court’s decision, stating that all related cases on the dispute would now proceed. He indicated that the Hindu side might approach the Supreme Court to lift its stay on a previous Allahabad High Court order permitting a survey of the mosque.

The mosque management and the Uttar Pradesh Sunni Central Waqf Board maintain that the lawsuits are legally untenable. Meanwhile, parallels are being drawn to the Gyanvapi mosque-Kashi Vishwanath temple dispute in Varanasi, highlighting the broader implications of such legal battles.

The Supreme Court’s December 9 hearing will address the mosque committee’s challenge and clarify the legal framework governing such cases.