MUMBAI – A local court in the Indian state of Uttar Pardesh has ordered survey of a historic mosque, Shahi Idgah, in a case filed by a Hindu right-wing group claiming that there was a temple at that place in the Mughal era.
The court of Division III Senior Civil Judge Sonika Verma in Mathura District issued the order after hearing the petition filed by Hindu Sena. The judge asked the department concerned to submit its report on Jan 20.
The order is on the same lines as a Varanasi court had ordered a videography survey of the Gyanvapi mosque on a Hindu group’s petiton.
“The learned judge had ordered Amin (term used to refer to a revenue department official) on December 8 to inform both the parties and submit a survey report on the next hearing,” Indian media house Mint quoted the counsel as saying.
On Dec 8, Hindu Sena leaders claimed that Idgah Mosque was built by Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb after razing a temple on the land, which is Lord Krishna’s birthplace.
The petitioners challenged the agreement reached in the year 1968 between the Shri Krishna Janmasthan Seva Sangh vs Shahi Masjid Idgah.
It may be noted that Shahi Idgah mosque comes under the purview of India’s Places of Worship Act of 1991, which says: “An Act to prohibit conversion of any place of worship and to provide for the maintenance of the religious character of any place of worship as it existed on the 15th day of August 1947, and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.”
