Calcutta HC dismisses PIL challenging proposed Babri Mosque in West Bengal

Kolkata:The Calcutta High Court on Thursday dismissed a public interest litigation challenging the proposed construction of a Babri Mosque at Beldanga in Murshidabad district, West Bengal. The mosque initiative was proposed by now-suspended Trinamool Congress legislator Humayun Kabir.

The foundation stone for the mosque was laid on December 6. The proposed Beldanga mosque is intended to replicate the original Babri Mosque in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, which was demolished on December 6, 1992.

During the hearing before a division bench of Acting Chief Justice Sujoy Paul and Justice Partha Sarathi Sen, the court observed that the petition lacked legal merit. The bench also rejected claims that Kabir began construction without prior approval from the district administration, noting that the mosque is being built on private land, not government property, making the petition legally untenable.

The PIL argued that Kabir’s announcements regarding the mosque, coupled with provocative statements, could disrupt communal harmony in the state. However, the court found no grounds to halt the construction.

Following Kabir’s announcement of the Beldanga mosque, the Trinamool Congress distanced itself, suspending him days before the foundation-laying ceremony on charges of anti-party activities.

Kabir has also stated that he will launch his own political party on December 22, revealing the office bearers on the same day. He further announced that his new party plans to contest in over 100 Assembly constituencies in West Bengal in alliance with Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi’s AIMIM, and possibly with the Left Front, should the latter agree to the alliance.

With IANS inputs