Sambhal: A tehsildar court in Sambhal has declared a mosque constructed on designated graveyard land in a village illegal and ordered its eviction, officials said on Friday.
A revenue team led by Tehsildar Dhirendra Kumar Singh conducted a site visit to Kaserua village, under the Nakhasa police station limits, and demarcated the land following complaints raised by local residents.
According to officials, the tehsildar court has already issued eviction orders against the mosque committee. The committee has since filed an appeal before the district magistrate’s court. “The court has passed an eviction order. The committee has filed an appeal before the district magistrate, and further action will be taken after the appellate court’s decision,” Singh said.
The tehsildar stated that the mosque had been constructed on approximately 1,100 to 1,200 square metres of land recorded as a graveyard. He added that constructing a mosque on such land is “not only illegal but also inappropriate from a religious perspective”.
Officials further said that revenue records clearly designate the plot as graveyard land. Villagers had approached the district magistrate claiming that the village lacked sufficient graveyard space and sought protection of the land.
“During record verification, it was found that the graveyard land had been encroached upon and a mosque constructed on it. Action under Section 67 was initiated in this regard,” Singh said.
He noted that while the mosque committee participated in the legal proceedings, it failed to produce documentary evidence to establish ownership of the land.
In addition, authorities have issued notices to individuals who have allegedly constructed houses on village community land. “If they remove the encroachments voluntarily, it will be better; otherwise, further action will be taken and penalties imposed,” Singh added.
With PTI inputs