Allahabad High Court Rejects Sambhal Mosque Panel’s Plea; Clears Way for Survey of Mughal-Era Masjid

Lucknow: In a significant development in the ongoing religious site dispute, the Allahabad High Court on Monday dismissed a petition filed by the Sambhal Mosque Committee challenging a trial court’s decision to conduct a survey of the 16th-century Shahi Jama Masjid. The mosque, located in Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh, has been at the centre of a legal battle following claims that it was built after demolishing a Hindu temple in 1526.

The bench of Justice Rohit Ranjan Agarwal, which heard the matter, upheld the trial court’s earlier direction appointing an Advocate Commissioner to carry out a survey of the premises.

In its ruling, the court observed that the Hindu plaintiffs in the case are prima facie not barred from seeking such reliefs. The bench noted that legal objections over the maintainability of the suit should be addressed at the trial stage, not at the preliminary stage of survey and evidence collection.

The case has been brought by eight plaintiffs, including Mahant Rishiraj Giri, who argue that the mosque was constructed on the remnants of a demolished Hindu temple. The trial court had earlier appointed a survey commissioner on November 19 and 24 last year to investigate the matter.

Reacting to the High Court’s decision, advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain, who represents the Hindu plaintiffs, told PTI, “The order of Allahabad High Court is very crucial for those who questioned how the court appointed survey commissioner on November 19 and November 24 as a party, and ordered a survey without listening to the survey committee. This is a breach of law, and questions were raised over the court and the concerned parties.”

The Allahabad High Court’s verdict is expected to impact other similar disputes across the state, particularly in light of recent legal battles over religious structures with overlapping historical claims.