Sambhal: A court in Chandausi postponed the next hearing in the Shahi Jama Masjid Harihar temple dispute after noting that the Supreme Court is still examining the matter. Civil Judge Aditya Singh was scheduled to hear arguments, but the proceedings were deferred to January 8. Counsel for the mosque side, Shakeel Ahmed Warsi, said the trial court paused the process because of the stay issued by the Supreme Court.
The dispute reached the district court last year when Hindu petitioners, including advocates Hari Shankar Jain and Vishnu Shankar Jain, filed a suit claiming the mosque stands on the remains of an old temple. The district court ordered a survey on November 19. The authorities held a second survey on November 24. Protests intensified during the second exercise, and four people lost their lives. Twenty nine police personnel suffered injuries.
The police filed an FIR naming SP MP Ziaur Rahman Barq and mosque committee head Zafar Ali. They also booked 2,750 unidentified persons. The Muslim side approached the Allahabad High Court to question the maintainability of the suit. On May 19, the High Court upheld the district court’s decision to allow the survey. It instructed the trial court to continue hearing the matter.
In August, the Supreme Court intervened after an appeal from the mosque committee. The court ordered status quo and halted all further action. The trial court’s latest postponement follows the same direction. The next hearing will depend on the Supreme Court’s position on the pending appeal.
