The Supreme Court, on Tuesday, intervened by staying the Allahabad High Court’s directive to appoint an advocate commissioner for the survey of Shahi Eidgah mosque near the Krishna Janmabhoomi temple in Mathura. A bench comprising Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta deemed the application for a local commissioner “vague” during a hearing on a plea filed by the Committee of Management, Trust Shahi Masjid Idgah, contesting the Allahabad HC’s order.
Senior advocate Shyam Divan, representing Hindu bodies, was informed by the bench that a specific purpose for appointing a court commissioner should be outlined in the application, emphasizing clarity.
Simultaneously, the Supreme Court issued notices to the Hindu bodies, inviting their responses, while clarifying that the proceedings before the high court concerning the dispute would persist. The case is scheduled for further consideration on January 23.
The Krishna Janmabhoomi-Shahi Idgah Masjid case involves a longstanding dispute over the Mathura site. Petitioners claim that the Shahi Idgah mosque adjacent to the Krishna Janmabhoomi temple displays indications of being a former Hindu temple. Allegedly, the mosque was constructed on the birthplace of Lord Krishna in Mathura, with Hindu petitioners pointing to a lotus-shaped pillar, a characteristic feature of Hindu temples, on the mosque premises.
On December 14 of the previous year, the Allahabad HC granted the Hindu side’s request for a court-monitored survey of the Shahi-Eidgah mosque premises in the Krishna Janmabhoomi case. The order was issued in response to an application seeking the restoration of the 13.37-acre mosque land.
Conversely, the mosque committee contested the order, urging the rejection of the Hindu side’s plea. They argued that the lawsuit is barred by the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991, which prohibits the alteration of the character of religious places. The legal intricacies surrounding the case underscore the complexity of the dispute and the significance of the Supreme Court’s intervention in determining the course of proceedings.
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