Allahabad High Court Restrains Further Demolition Of Noori Jama Masjid In Fatehpur

The Allahabad High Court has restrained the Uttar Pradesh government from taking any further demolition action at the Noori Jama Masjid in Fatehpur. A Bench of Justice Atul Sreedharan and Justice Arun Kumar passed the order while hearing a writ petition filed by the mosque's Managing Committee. The petitioner approached the HC saying that a portion of the structure had already been razed following a notice issued by the authorities During the hearing, the State counsel submitted that the demolition had been undertaken for the purposes of the widening of an adjoining road and that the work was 'already complete'. However, the petitioner's counsel denied factual accuracy of the statement and said that the work is still pending and that Mosque would in fact be further demolished, if not protected, till the next date of hearing. Under these circumstances, the Standing Counsel gave an undertaking in HC that till the next date of hearing, no further demolition of structure in question would be carried out. The undertaking made forms part of this order. The Court formally recorded this assurance and directed: "Till the next date of listing, no further action of the demolition shall take place in the Mosque". However, looking into urgency and need of widening the road, the bench directed that the case be listed on top of the Item on November 17 as fresh so that the State can seek instructions. The Noori Jama Masjid, situated in Village Lalauli of District Fatehpur, is a 180-year-old mosque built in the architectural style prevalent at the time. According to the petitioner, it has historically served as a religious, cultural and social hub for the local Muslim community and continues to function as a place of worship and cultural preservation. Last year, the UP Government Public Works Department's had issue a notice to the management regarding its proposal to demolish a vital part of Mosque for the purposes of road widening.Essentially, a 40-foot area on both sides of NH 335 for about 2 km, including a 150-square-foot section of Noori Jama Masjid, was proposed to be used by the authorities.

Allahabad High Court Restrains Further Demolition Of Noori Jama Masjid In Fatehpur

Sparsh Upadhyay

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