Sunday Sitting | Demolition 'Threat' To 150-Yr-Old Methodist School: Allahabad High Court Orders Status Quo Over Alleged 'Nazool' Land
In a special Sunday sitting convened today, the Allahabad High Court (Lucknow Bench) intervened to order a status quo over a disputed piece of land purportedly belonging to an educational institution that has existed for over 150 years but is now facing an "imminent threat of demolition".
Hearing a plea filed by Methodist Mission Girls Junior High School, Civil Lines, Sitapur, a bench of Justice Alok Mathur and Justice Amitabh Kumar Rai directed the State Government authorities not to change the nature of the disputed property already in their possession.
With this, the bench granted immediate temporary relief to the school management in the special chamber hearing convened due to the 'urgency' and the threat of demolition of the property.
The dispute pertains to an area of 3.562-hectare plot of land situated in Village Chavani Kadim, Pargana Khairabad, in Sitapur district.
The petitioners submitted that the same has been wrongly described as "Nazool land" in the records of the State Government
They contended that the said land was purchased by the predecessor in interest of the petitioners in 1862, handed over to the previous predecessor in interest of the petitioners, and thereafter came into the hands of the petitioners, who are running an educational institution on the same land.
Opposing the plea, the State counsel referred to an order passed by the District Magistrate (DM) of Sitapur on June 24, 2026.
The State clarified that the authorities have not touched the disputed land on which the petitioners and the Church conduct educational activities, and have only reclaimed other areas, as described in the impugned order.
It was further informed that certain demolition activities have been carried out, and possession thereof has been taken by the Nagar Palika Parishad Sitapur in July 2024.
During the hearing, the High Court noted that a civil suit (Suit No. 34 of 2017) concerning a portion of the disputed property is already pending before the Civil Judge (Senior Division) in Sitapur.
The bench observed that this crucial fact was missing from the current writ petition. However, the counsel for the petitioners submitted that as the writ petition was drafted and filed in “great urgency”, certain facts have been left out from being brought on record
Taking note of the circumstances and the fact that the State had already taken possession of a portion of the disputed land, the bench issued an interim protective order.
"Considering the fact that the State Government has already taken possession of the portion of the disputed land, it is directed that they shall not change the nature of the possessed disputed property and the parties shall maintain status quo over the said land till the next date of listing" the Court ordered.
The Court also directed the office of the Chief Standing Counsel to communicate the order to the State authorities immediately, without even waiting for the certified copy of the order to be issued.
The matter has been listed among the top ten cases for further hearing on July 20, 2026.
Case Title: Methodist Mission Girls Junior High School Civil Lines Sitapur And Another Versus State Of U.P. And 4 Others