The Uttar Pradesh government informed the Supreme Court about encroachment claims related to the Shahi Jama Masjid, asserting it lies on public land amidst ongoing legal disputes and previous violence.
New Delhi: The Uttar Pradesh government has told the Supreme Court that the Sambhal mosque authorities are trying to encroach upon public land. The state government made this claim in a status report submitted to the court regarding the 16th-century Shahi Jama Masjid, which has been at the center of a legal battle and witnessed violence last December.
The Shahi Jama Masjid in Sambhal is involved in a dispute following claims by Hindu petitioners that it was built over a Hindu temple.
In its report, the UP government asserted that both the mosque and the disputed well are located on public land. It stated that the mosque authorities are trying to claim private rights over it.
“It is submitted that the well is a public well and is not situated anywhere inside the mosque (or the) disputed religious site… there is no access to the subject well from inside the mosque… (it) has no connection with the disputed site,”
the report stated.
The mosque committee had last month presented a Google Maps image in court to claim that the well was located within the mosque complex. However, the government countered this argument, stating that the petitioners had submitted misleading photographs and called their application “misconceived.”
The government stated that the well is one of 19 ancient wells in Sambhal, which the district administration is reviving for rainwater harvesting and water conservation.
“The revival of these ancient wells is culturally significant and will attract tourism,”
the report added.
Last month, the Supreme Court had ordered a status quo on an application filed by the mosque committee, temporarily halting any further action. However, today, the UP government urged the court to dismiss the petition, arguing:
“The mosque committee’s application is not only an attempt to fail the revival process but also harmful to the conservation, development, and environment of the area.”
Previously, the Supreme Court stayed a local administration notice that permitted puja at the well, clarifying that while people could use the well, they could not conduct religious rituals there.
Meanwhile, the mosque committee has sought permission to decorate the mosque ahead of Ramzan. However, District Magistrate Rajender Pensiya stated that no such work can be carried out without approval from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).
The Mughal-era Shahi Jama Masjid became the site of violence last year after a local court ordered a survey based on petitions claiming that a Hindu temple once existed at the location. The order led to protests and clashes between the police and locals, resulting in multiple casualties.
The case continues to be one of the most closely watched religious disputes in Uttar Pradesh, with both sides awaiting the Supreme Court’s final decision.
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