Sambhal (Uttar Pradesh): A local court in Chandausi, Sambhal district, has scheduled July 21 to hear a plea demanding a ban on namaz at the Shahi Jama Masjid, which Hindu petitioners claim was originally the Harihar Temple, reported the Hindu.
The application, filed by Simran Gupta, also seeks that the mosque be sealed and placed under the custody of the Sambhal District Magistrate until a final decision is made. The petition argues that if the site is recognized as disputed by the court, then all forms of religious activity should be suspended—pointing out that while Hindus have been barred from performing rituals, Muslims continue to offer prayers.
Civil Judge (Senior Division) Aditya Singh accepted the plea for hearing. The petition comes in the backdrop of ongoing legal proceedings that started in November 2023, when eight Hindu petitioners, including advocates Hari Shankar Jain and Vishnu Shankar Jain, filed a case claiming the mosque stands atop a demolished temple. The court had then ordered a survey of the site, which was conducted on November 19 and again on November 24.
The matter had earlier reached the Allahabad High Court, where the Muslim side challenged the survey orders. However, on May 19, the High Court upheld the lower court’s decision and allowed the case to continue in the Chandausi Civil Court.
During the November 24 survey, violence broke out in Sambhal, resulting in four deaths and injuries to 29 police officers. FIRs were registered against Samajwadi Party MP Ziaur Rahman Barq, Shahi Jama Masjid president Zafar Ali, and 2,750 unidentified individuals. So far, 96 people, including Ali and several lawyers, have been arrested.
Advocate Babu Lal Saxena, representing Simran Gupta, emphasized that no community should be allowed religious access to the site during the ongoing dispute. Meanwhile, the mosque’s lawyer, Qasim Jamal, said they would respect the court’s decision.
The court will also hear Gupta’s request to be added as a petitioner representing the Hindu side on the same day.
