The Allahabad High Court has issued a stay on the ongoing lawsuit in the Sambhal District Court concerning the dispute between Shahi Jama Masjid and Harihara Temple in Uttar Pradesh’s Sambhal. The court, presided over by Justice Rohit Ranjan Agarwal, called for all parties involved to submit their responses within four weeks during a hearing on Wednesday.
The Shahi Jama Masjid Management Committee had filed a petition, leading to this temporary relief, particularly for the Muslim side. The court has also scheduled the mosque committee to file their rejoinder within two weeks following the parties’ responses.
The original case was lodged on November 19 at the court of the Civil Judge Senior Division in Sambhal, where the Hindu side, represented by advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain, has implicated six individuals, including officials from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), who have already submitted their responses. The dispute claims that the current Shahi Jama Masjid site historically housed the Harihara Temple. The district court had previously ordered a survey of the site, which was conducted on November 24 last year, the day after which violence ensued, resulting in four fatalities.
The next hearing at the High Court is set for February 25, where the case will be treated as a fresh case.
