Allahabad High Court dismisses urgent plea by Sambhal mosque committee, refusing to stay demolition of mosque, marriage hall, and hospital. The court noted the structures were allegedly built on government property, prompting authorities to proceed with removal.
In a significant setback for the petitioners, the Allahabad High Court dismissed an urgent plea from the Sambhal mosque committee on Saturday, which sought to halt the demolition of a mosque, marriage hall, and hospital alleged to be constructed on government property.
Justice Dinesh Pathak, presiding over a single-judge Bench, heard the case filed by Masjid Sharif Gausul Wara Rawa Buzurg and its Mutawalli, Minjar.
After considering arguments from both sides, the court dismissed the petition and instructed the mosque committee to file a stay application with the appropriate lower court.
The petitioners contested a September 2 order issued under Section 67 of the Uttar Pradesh Revenue Code, 2006.
They claimed that the marriage hall, which had already been demolished on October 2 using four bulldozers, was situated on pond land.
They also expressed concerns that carrying out the demolition on Gandhi Jayanti and Dussehra could lead to potential law-and-order issues.
The administration had issued a notice to the mosque, indicating that parts of it were allegedly built on government land, and gave the committee a four-day deadline to respond.
Before this deadline had elapsed, members of the mosque committee reportedly began dismantling parts of the wall on their own. On Dussehra, the Sambhal district administration initiated a significant demolition operation targeting illegal encroachments, resulting in the destruction of a marriage hall on government land in Rawa Buzurg village.
This operation, conducted early Thursday morning, transformed the area into a heavily secured zone, with around 200 police and Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) personnel deployed. Drones were also utilized for real-time monitoring of the proceedings.
Also Read: Rs 5 Lakh Fine on Drishti IAS: CCPA Exposes Misleading UPSC Selection Claims for 2022
During the previous hearing on Friday, the High Court had requested the petitioners to provide land records. The state government, District Magistrate, Superintendent of Police Sambhal, ADM, Tehsildar, and Gram Sabha were named as respondents in the case.
Advocates Arvind Kumar Tripathi and Shashank Shri Tripathi represented the mosque committee, while Chief Standing Counsel JN Maurya and Standing Counsel Ashish Mohan Srivastava appeared on behalf of the government during Saturday’s hearing.