The Allahabad High Court has stopped the Uttar Pradesh government from carrying out any further demolition at the 180-year-old Noori Jama Masjid in Fatehpur, after a portion of the structure was allegedly razed during a road-widening exercise.
A bench of Justices Atul Sreedharan and Arun Kumar passed the interim order on Thursday while hearing a writ petition filed by the mosque’s managing committee.
The committee approached the court stating that authorities had already demolished part of the historic mosque pursuant to a notice issued last year. It argued that the structure remained under threat because the widening work was still underway.
During the hearing, the state’s counsel told the court that the demolition required for widening the adjoining road had been completed. The petitioner disputed this, saying the work was not over and that further demolition was likely unless the court provided protection.
In response to the dispute over facts, the standing counsel for the state government gave an undertaking that no further demolition would be carried out until the next date of hearing. The bench formally recorded this assurance in its order.
“Till the next date of listing, no further action of the demolition shall take place in the mosque,” the court directed.
Taking note of the urgency surrounding the road-widening project, the bench ordered that the matter be listed on November 17 as the first item, giving the state time to file its reply.
Located in Lalauli village of Fatehpur district, the Noori Jama Masjid is more than 180 years old and reflects the architectural style of its time. According to the petitioner, the mosque has long served as a religious, cultural and social centre for the local Muslim community and continues to function as an active place of worship.
In 2023, the Uttar Pradesh Public Works Department issued a notice proposing to demolish a vital portion of the masjid for widening NH-335. The plan involved acquiring 40 feet of land on both sides of the highway along a two-kilometre stretch, which included around 150 sq ft of the mosque’s structure.
The matter will now come up on November 17.
