New Delhi: The Supreme Court will resume hearing on Monday in the dispute over the Shahi Jama Masjid and Sri Harihar Mandir in Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh. A bench of Justices P. S. Narasimha and Atul S. Chandurkar will examine the special leave petition filed by the mosque committee challenging the Allahabad High Court’s order allowing a survey of the disputed site.
On Friday, the bench directed both Hindu and Muslim parties to maintain the status quo until August 25 and issued a notice to the Hindu petitioners. The court also asked advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain to place on record another Supreme Court ruling cited by the Hindu side, which argued that an ASI-protected monument is not covered under the Places of Worship Act, 1991.
The mosque committee has argued that the high court erred in upholding the Chandousi court’s decision to order a survey, which it says violated provisions of the 1991 law. The committee also challenged the legality of a second survey carried out in November last year without a clear court order.
The dispute centers on claims by Hindu petitioners that the Mughal-era Shahi Jama Masjid was built over a pre-existing temple known as Harihar Mandir. Tensions escalated during a survey conducted in November 2023, when violence left four people dead. The Supreme Court had earlier stayed trial court proceedings and restricted further action until the high court reviewed the case.
