A Chandausi court has fixed August 28 for hearing the Shahi Jama Masjid–Harihar temple case after the Muslim side argued that the matter is already pending before the Supreme Court. The dispute, which earlier triggered violence in Sambhal, remains one of the most sensitive temple-mosque cases in Uttar Pradesh.
A court in Chandausi on Thursday, August 21, decided to hear the Shahi Jama Masjid–Harihar temple dispute on August 28. The matter was listed before Civil Judge (Senior Division) Aditya Singh.
Advocate of the Hindu side, Gopal Sharma, told PTI that on Thursday the opposite party filed an application saying that since the case is already pending in the Supreme Court, the local court has no jurisdiction to continue the hearing. After this application was submitted, the trial court postponed the matter to August 28.
The Muslim side has also challenged the maintainability of the case in the Allahabad High Court, but on May 19, the High Court dismissed that objection.
The High Court upheld the trial court’s earlier order which allowed a court-monitored survey of the disputed site and further directed the lower court to continue with the proceedings.
Speaking to reporters, advocate for the Shahi Jama Masjid, Qasim Jamal, confirmed that an application had been filed and also referred to a Supreme Court judgment related to the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991.
He explained that the top court had directed that till the Supreme Court heard the case, no religious matter should be heard by any other court.
Mr. Jamal stated,
“Neither any case can be heard nor any action can be taken, when the order of the Supreme Court is still pending and a stay has been imposed till the next hearing.”
He further added,
“If this hearing takes place then it will be a violation of the Supreme Court’s guidelines.”
The trial court has now asked all parties to file their objections by August 28, when the matter will come up again.
The dispute originally began on November 19, 2024, when Hindu petitioners, including advocates Hari Shankar Jain and Vishnu Shankar Jain, filed a suit in the Sambhal district court.
They claimed that the mosque was built over a pre-existing temple. On the same day, the court ordered a survey of the site. A second survey was conducted on November 24, 2024.
However, the second survey led to widespread unrest in Sambhal. The violence resulted in the death of four people and injuries to 29 police personnel.
Following this, the police registered serious cases against several people. An FIR was filed against SP MP Ziaur Rahman Barq and mosque committee head Zafar Ali, along with an FIR against 2,750 unidentified persons.
The next key hearing is now scheduled for August 28 in Chandausi.
Click Here to Read Previous Reports on Sambhal violence case
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