Supreme Court to hear Sambhal Shahi Jama Masjid dispute on Monday
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New Delhi: The Supreme Court will on Monday hear the ongoing dispute over the Shahi Jama Masjid and Sri Harihar Mandir in Uttar Pradesh’s Sambhal.
According to the case status, a bench of Justices P.S. Narasimha and Atul S. Chandurkar will resume hearing the special leave petition (SLP) filed by the mosque committee against the Allahabad High Court’s order upholding a Chandousi court directive for a survey of the disputed site.
During the previous hearing on Friday, the bench directed both Hindu and Muslim parties to maintain the status quo. As the Hindu side cited another Supreme Court ruling that an ASI-protected monument does not fall under the Places of Worship Act, the bench asked advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain to place the order on record before adjourning the matter.
The mosque committee’s SLP has challenged the Allahabad High Court’s finding that the suit is not barred by the Places of Worship Act, 1991, as it sought access to the site under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958. The high court had dismissed a civil revision petition seeking a stay on trial court proceedings.
The dispute arose after Hindu petitioners claimed that the Mughal-era mosque was built over a Hindu temple known as the Harihar Mandir. In November last year, violence broke out during a court-ordered survey of the site, leaving at least four people dead.
The Supreme Court had earlier stayed the trial court proceedings, instructing that no further steps be taken until the Allahabad High Court reviewed the mosque committee’s plea.