In a significant legal challenge, the Management Committee of Fatehpur’s 180-year-old Noori Jama Masjid has petitioned the Allahabad High Court. The plea seeks to prevent the demolition of a significant portion of the mosque, which is planned by the Uttar Pradesh Public Works Department as part of a road widening project. The committee is advocating for the mosque’s preservation, citing its historical and cultural significance.
The mosque, located in Fatehpur’s Lalauli area, serves as a cornerstone for the local Muslim community, offering a place for worship and cultural preservation. Advocate Syed Azeem Uddin, representing the mosque, emphasized the mosque’s role in maintaining the social and cultural fabric of the area.
The legal petition argues that the demolition would not only disrupt the local community but also cause irreversible damage to India’s cultural heritage. “Historical structures, once lost, cannot be replicated or restored,” stated the plea. It highlights the authorities’ failure to respond to previous representations as a neglect of statutory duties and a breach of the public trust doctrine.
Furthermore, the plea requests the court to issue a directive restraining the Uttar Pradesh government from proceeding with the demolition based on the issued trespass notice. It also seeks an order directing the Archaeological Survey of India to evaluate the mosque’s status and consider declaring it a protected monument under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958.
