Shahi Idgah masjid: Allahabad High Court reserves verdict

Prayagraj: The Allahabad High Court ended its hearing on the plea filed by the Shahi Idgah Masjid, challenging the maintainability of 18 suits filed concerning Mathura's Sri Krishna Janmabhoomi-Shahi Idgah Masjid dispute. The court, however, reserved its verdict on the matter, Live Law reported.

The Hindu parties wanted the masjid complex for themselves, and the 18 suits filed in the matter demanded the removal of the Shahi Idgah mosques from the 13.37-acre complex where the Katra Keshav Dev temple in Mathura. The pleas include additional prayers including possession of the Shahi Idgah premises and demolition of the present structure.

It was the court bench of Justice Kumar Jain which reserved the verdict after hearing the arguments of the masjid committee as well as the arguments by the Hindu plaintiffs, including the diety. The court started hearing the masjid committee's objections in February of this year.

The Committee of Management Trust Shahi Idgah Masjid argued that the suits pending before the HC are barred by the Places of Worship Act 1991, Limitation Act 1963, and Specific Relief Act 1963.

Advocate Tasneem Ahmadi, appearing for the Mosque committee, argued that in most of the suits by the Hindu parties, the demand is the right to the land. However, the right to the land is a subject matter of a compromise between Shree Krishna Janmasthan Seva Sangh and the management of the Shahi Masjid Idgah, which arrived in 1968. The compromise divided the disputed land among the two entities and asked both to stay away from each other's property.

But Hindu plaintiffs claimed that no property in the name of Shahi Idgah is in the government records, and the mosque has occupied the land illegally. The plaintiffs argued that if the property belonged to the Waqf Board, the board should reveal who donated the property. They further argued that the Worship Act, Limitation Act, and Waqf Act are not applicable in this case, Live Law reports.