Supreme Court Stays Order For Survey Of Mathura's Shahi Idgah Mosque (image-twitter/sunnyrajbjp)
The Supreme Court has paused the Allahabad High court order for a court-monitored survey of the Shah Idgah mosque adjoining Krishna Janmabhoomi temple in Mathura district of Uttar Pradesh.
On December 14, the court has allowed a court-monitored survey of the mosque adjoining the temple. The appeal was submitted to the court claiming that the mosque holds signs suggesting that it was a Hindu temple once, reports Outlook. The Allahabad high court on Thursday granted permission to appoint a court commissioner to inspect the premises of the Shah-Idgah mosque.
The bench consisting of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta ordered that the proceedings before the High Court can continue but the commission cannot be executed till the next date of hearing before the top court. The apex court observed the application filed before the High Court as “very vague and omnibus”.
“You can”t file a vague application for appointment of court commissioner. It should be very specific on the purpose. You can”t leave everything to the court to look into it,” the Supreme Court said, reports Bar and Bench.
The Hindu side approached the court alleging that the mosque was built on the birthplace of Lord Krishna and has demanded a survey. The demand was then admitted by local court in December last year but the Muslim side filed an objection in the high court. The Hindu side filed a petition in a Mathura court demanding full ownership of the contested 13.37 acres of land, claiming the centuries-old mosque was built by demolishing the Katra Keshav Dev temple that stood there earlier. They alleged that this order was given by Mughal king, Aurangzeb.
To substantiate the claims, the Hindu side refer the presence of the carvings of the lotuses on some walls of the mosque, and also the shapes apparently resembling ‘sheshnag’ – the snake demigod in Hindu mythology. Thus, they had claimed that the mosque was built over the temple.
Earlier, the Muslim side had attempted to dismiss the petition referring the Places of Worship Act of 1991, which sustains the religious status of any place of worship since it was on August 15, 1947.
