Supreme Court Directs Trial Court To Suspend Sambhal Mosque Survey, Asks Petitioners To Approach HC

The Supreme Court, during a hearing on Friday regarding the plea challenging a court order permitting the survey of the Shahi Jama Masjid in Sambhal, advised the petitioners to approach the High Court for resolution. The Court further directed that no action should be taken by the trial court on the matter until the case is heard.

SC directs district administration to maintain peace

Additionally, the Supreme Court instructed the district administration to take necessary steps to maintain peace in the area, which has been disturbed by violence following the survey of the mosque.

The petition was filed by the Management Committee of the Mughal-era mosque, which is claimed by Hindus to have been constructed by demolishing a Hindu temple. The Bench, consisting of Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar, was addressing a request for an ex-parte ad-interim stay on the trial court’s order dated November 19.

Sambhal mosque built by demolishing temple

The petitioners argued that the mosque, which has been in continuous use as a place of worship by Muslims since the 16th century, was the subject of a hasty legal process after a suit was filed by eight plaintiffs. These plaintiffs allege that the mosque was built by demolishing the “Shri Hari Har Temple.” The petition highlighted the violence that erupted following the surveyors’ visit to the mosque, resulting in the deaths of four individuals from gunshot wounds on the second day of the survey, mere meters from the mosque.

The masjid committee’s plea emphasized that the “rush” in allowing and conducting the survey, especially the second survey conducted within six hours of notice, had escalated communal tensions, threatening the nation’s secular and democratic values.

Sambhal survey follows the Gyanvapi mosque case

The petition also urged the Supreme Court to order that the Survey Commissioner’s report be kept in a sealed cover and that the status quo be maintained until the final resolution of the appeal.

The Supreme Court is also currently handling cases related to disputes over the Gyanvapi mosque in Varanasi and the Sri Krishna Janmasthan mosque in Mathura. Additionally, the Court is reviewing petitions that challenge the constitutional validity of the Places of Worship Act, 1991, which prohibits any alteration to the religious character of a place of worship as it existed on August 15, 1947.

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