The Supreme Court Today (Sep 1) extended the “status quo” order in the Sambhal mosque dispute for two more weeks. The Court also asked its registry to check who officially filed the appeals and submit a report.
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NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday decided to continue the “status quo” in the ongoing Sambhal mosque dispute in Uttar Pradesh.
The order will remain in force for the next two weeks.
The matter was heard by a bench of Justices P.S. Narasimha and Alok Aradhe.
The bench noted that two separate appeals were filed in this case by the Committee of Management Jami Masjid Sambhal, represented by its secretary and vice president.
The top court instructed its registry to carry out a proper enquiry into the filing of these appeals and to submit a full report before the Court.
At the beginning of the hearing, the Court asked:
“Who authorised filing of the SLPs?”
The Court then passed an order saying:
“Registry to verify which SLPs are legitimately filed. Report to be placed before the Court.”
During the hearing, Advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain argued before the bench.
He said:
“Interim order of Nov 29 was conditional—HC has already decided revision, holding that no prior hearing needed for survey. So, interim order should go.”
The Court, however, noted that:
“But meanwhile, our earlier order may still have implications.”
Advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain further pressed the point by saying:
“Let trial not be stayed. Our Constitution is transformative. We filed the suit, they haven’t filed 7/11 or written statement.”
The Additional Solicitor General (ASG), appearing for the government, intervened and said:
“Trial has in fact been stayed because of interim order.”
The bench then concluded the proceedings by stating:
“We will clarify after report.”
Finally, the Court passed an order:
“Report to be placed in 2 weeks. Interim order continues for now.”
Explanatory Table of Laws and Legal References
| Law / Term | Full Form / Meaning | Relevance in This Case |
|---|---|---|
| SLP | Special Leave Petition under Article 136 of the Constitution | The Court questioned: “Who authorised filing of the SLPs?” → Issue is whether the appeals were properly filed by authorised persons of the mosque committee. |
| Interim Order (29 Nov) | Temporary order given by the Supreme Court | The earlier order asked to maintain “status quo” until further hearing. Advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain argued it should go because HC already gave a decision. |
| Status Quo Order | A judicial order that maintains the present condition | The Court extended status quo for 2 more weeks, meaning no changes will happen on the ground until the report is submitted. |
| Trial Stay | Suspension of ongoing legal proceedings | ASG said: “Trial has in fact been stayed because of interim order.” Jain opposed and pressed that the trial should continue. |
| 7/11 Document | Property document under the U.P. Zamindari Abolition & Land Reforms Act, 1950 (similar entries exist in revenue records across states) | Advocate Jain argued: “We filed the suit, they haven’t filed 7/11 or written statement.” Meaning, the mosque committee has not submitted the required land/property ownership documents. |
| Written Statement | Reply/defense filed by the opposite party in a civil suit under Order VIII of CPC (Code of Civil Procedure, 1908) | Jain pointed out that the mosque committee had not yet filed their written statement in court, which weakens their defense. |
| Survey Order | Court-directed inspection of property | HC earlier ruled that survey could be done without prior hearing, which Jain relied upon to argue that the interim order was unnecessary. |
CASE TITLE:
COMMITTEE OF MANAGEMENT JAMI MASJID, SAMBHAL vs HARI SHANKAR JAIN AND ORS,
Diary No. 46111-2025.
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