'No Sanction; Communal Tension Over Pipal Tree': UP Govt Justifies Objection To Renovation Of 19th Century Ayodhya Mosque In High Court

The Uttar Pradesh government last week strongly objected to the renovation and repair work of the 19th-century Hussaini Mosque in Ayodhya, citing an attempt by the Mosque Committee to undertake construction on the mosque's land without proper sanction. The objection was raised before the Allahabad High Court, where the Additional Chief Standing Counsel justified the Govt's stance by highlighting that the mosque management was including a nearby Pipal tree and Chabutra (platform) within the mosque's boundary as part of the proposed renovation plan, which had created social and communal tension in the area. The submission was made before a bench of Justice Rajan Roy and Justice Manish Kumar, which is hearing a writ petition filed by Mohd. Siddiq, the Mutawalli of the century-old mosque Husaini Masjid. The petition seeks a direction to the Uttar Pradesh Government, along with the District Magistrate (DM) and Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM), to refrain from interfering with the necessary repair work which the petitioner claims is aimed at preserving the ancient structure of the Hussaini Mosque. The plea also prays that the opposite parties be restrained from preventing Muslims from performing their regular prayers inside the mosque. It is the petitioner's case that the area where the Mosque exists has remained untouched by recorded tenure holders, who made no objections to the repairs, as the mosque is very old. It has been further stated that in December 2023, the central roof and minarets collapsed due to, but prayers continued in the open area, and therefore, it was decided to repair the Mosque. However, when local Muslims started the repair work, the local police instructed them to halt the work until after the Ayodhya Grand Temple inauguration. Later, when the repair work resumed, the police stopped it again, citing the impending General Elections. The said instructions were followed, and the work was halted. After the election results, when the petitioner sought a response at the Tahsil Office and Police Station, he received no satisfactory answer, so he submitted an online representation on the Jansunwai-Samadhan Public Grievances portal of the UP Government. In response to his complaint, the Tahsil office responded that the condition of the mosque was such that it required map sanction from the competent authority for any structural changes, and therefore, the repairs could continue only after approval. The petitioner argues that only repairs were required to be made to the Mosque and that reconstruction was not planned unless permitted; however, the local authorities have not responded to his prayers. Against this backdrop, the petitioner moved the HC seeking the aforementioned reliefs, stating that the Muslims are not being allowed to offer routine prayer inside the Mosque by the local Police, and they are being prevented arbitrarily from their prayer by giving the excuse that the building is too old and there is risk of collapse. Taking the submission of the state's counsel on record, the Court, seeking an affidavit of the opposite parties, has now posted the matter for a further hearing in January 2025.Advocate Sayyed Farooq Ahmad appeared for the petitioner. Additional Chief Standing Counsel Manish Mishra appeared for the opposite parties.Case title - Mohd. Siddiq vs. State Of U.P. Thru. Prin. Secy. Deptt. Revenue Lko. And 4 OthersClick here To Read/Download Order

'No Sanction; Communal Tension Over Pipal Tree': UP Govt Justifies Objection To Renovation Of 19th Century Ayodhya Mosque In High Court

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'No Sanction; Communal Tension Over Pipal Tree': UP Govt Justifies Objection To Renovation Of 19th Century Ayodhya Mosque In High Court

Sparsh Upadhyay

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