Krishna Janmabhoomi case: In setback to Muslim side, HC dismisses plea against suits

The Allahabad High Court on Thursday dismissed the Muslim side’s plea challenging the maintainability of suits in the Krishna Janmabhoomi-Shahi Eidgah dispute in Mathura.

The judgement had been reserved by Justice Mayank Kumar Jain.

Reacting to the development, the lawyer of the Hindu side, advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain, said that they will be ready if the Muslim side approaches the Supreme Court.

“Today Allahabad High Court has rejected the application of order 7 rule 11 filed by Shahi Eidgah Masjid and held that all these 18 suits are not barred by the Places of Worship Act…The next date of hearing is 12th August. The result is that the trials will proceed and the intention and the effort to nib in the trial on the issue of maintainability has been rejected. We will file the caveat before the Supreme Court and if the Shahi Eidgah Masjid approaches the SC, we will be present there,” he said.

Several suits have been filed seeking the “removal” of the Shahi Idgah mosque located adjacent to the Krishna Janmabhoomi temple, with litigants claiming that the Aurangazeb-era mosque was built after the demolition of a Krishna temple.The mosque management committee, in its petition, had challenged these suits.

The Muslim side – mosque management committee and UP Sunni Central Waqf Board – had argued that the suits were barred under the Places of Worship Act, 1991.

According to the Muslim side, the suits itself admit the fact that the mosque in question was built in 1669-70.

The suits filed by the Hindu side contain a common prayer seeking the “removal” of the Shahi Idgah mosque from the 13.37-acre complex it shares with the Katra Keshav Dev temple in Mathura. The additional prayers include seeking possession of the Shahi Idgah premises.

The court will resume hearing on August 12.