Today, On 23rd October, In the ongoing Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi and Shahi Idgah case in Mathura, the Allahabad High Court has dealt a setback to the Muslim side by dismissing their request for separate hearings for each case. The court rejected their plea to handle the cases individually. With this decision, the focus will now shift to determining the key issues in the dispute as the legal proceedings move forward.
Prayagraj: In the ongoing Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi dispute in Mathura, the Muslim side faced a significant setback after the Allahabad High Court rejected their recall application. This decision moves the case forward, with the next hearing set for November 8, where key issues will be addressed.
Mahendra Pratap Singh, who serves as both the advocate and national president of Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi Mukti Nyas, and is a key figure in the dispute, provided insight into the recent developments.
According to Singh, arguments were presented from both the temple and mosque sides before the bench of Justice Mayank Kumar Jain.
The mosque side filed a recall application to challenge the court’s earlier decision to hear 15 civil suits concerning ownership matters together. Their plea, which filed under Order 7 Rule 11 of the Code of Civil Procedure, dismissed by the court.
All the civil suits in the Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi dispute share a common prayer seeking the removal of the Shahi Idgah mosque from the 13.37-acre complex it shares with the Katra Keshav Dev temple in Mathura. In addition to this, the suits request possession of the Shahi Idgah premises and the demolition of the current structure located there.
As the temple side has emphasized,
“The proceedings in these suits can be taken up and the suits may be decided simultaneously on the basis of common evidence. To save the time of the Court, the expenses to be incurred to the parties…”
The temple side argued that the recall application was primarily an attempt to delay proceedings, noting that recall petitions are typically meant to withdraw a court’s order. By rejecting the recall application, the court has set the stage for determining the key issues in the civil suits moving forward.
The temple side already submitted its proposed issues and urged the court to consolidate all the disputes in order to expedite the hearings. They argued that consolidating the cases would help move the legal process forward more efficiently.
However, the Muslim side opposed this approach, advocating instead for separate hearings for each case.
After hearing arguments from both sides, the court reserved its decision, which was announced today, ruling against the mosque side’s recall application. As a result, all the pending cases will now be heard collectively, streamlining the legal proceedings. This development is likely to have significant implications for the future course of the dispute.