Budaun: A local court on Tuesday asked asked the Muslim side to complete its arguments by December 10 on a plea filed by a Hindu outfit seeking permission to offer worship at Jama Masjid Shamsi in Nudaun claiming it to be a temple.
A Hindu outfit – Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha – has filed the plea before the Budaun court claiming that the Neelkanth Mahadev temple existed at the mosque site and that the Neelankant temple in the fort of King Mahipal was demolished by the ruler of the slave dynasty and invader Shamsuddin Iltutmish and converted into the mosque.
What did the Muslim side say?
The counsel appearing for the Shamsi Shahi Jama Masjid Intezamia Committee and Waqf Board questioned before the court the locus standi of the Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha to file the petition in the matter and urged the court to dismiss the plea, submitting that the Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha does not have the legal right to become a plaintiff in the matter and filing such a plea before the court violates the Places of Worship Act, 1991.
There is no existence of a temple at mosque: Muslim side
The counsel representing the Muslim side further submitted that the mosque in question is about 850 years old and stated that there is “no existence of a temple” at the place and worship by Hindus in the mosque had never been conducted in the past, news agency PTI reported.
Civil Judge (Senior Division) Amit Kumar Singh fixed December 10 to hear the matter.
Violence erupted in neighbouring Sambhal district during a protest against a court-ordered survey of Shahi Jama Masjid
Violence erupted in the neighbouring Sambhal district during a protest against a court-ordered survey of the Shahi Jama Masjid, Sambhal on a plea filed by the Hindu side claiming the mosque was previously a Harihar temple.
A Sambhal court had on November 19 allowed a plea of the Hindu side plea seeking survey of the Shahi Jama Masjid, saying that it is probable that the report of the survey will facilitate the court in deciding the case and ordered ordering for the survey of the mosque.
Supreme Court directed Sambhal court to halt proceedings
The Supreme Court, while hearing a plea filed by the Committee of Management, Shahi Jama Masjid, Sambhal seeking stay on the Sambhal court order, directed the local court to halt proceedings in the case and not to pass any order in the matter related to survey of the mosque and not to open any survey report till the matter is heard by the appellate court.
