Rush Hour: Court says Sambhal mosque is ‘alleged masjid’, BJP seeks to rename parts of Delhi & more

The Allahabad High Court has directed the Archaeological Survey of India to inspect the Shahi Jama Masjid in Uttar Pradesh’s Sambhal to determine whether it requires whitewashing before Ramzan. In its order, the court used the word “alleged” five times to describe the mosque, after a Hindu petitioner expressed concerns that the court may implicitly recognise it as a mosque.

The order came on a plea by the mosque management committee seeking permission for maintenance work before the Islamic holy month of Ramzan commences on Saturday. The Sambhal police opposed the request for maintenance, arguing that prior approval of the Archaeological Survey was mandatory.

The High Court, however, said: “To balance the equity between the parties, it is important that during the holy month of Ramzan...the communal harmony is maintained.”

On November 24, violence broke out in Sambhal after Muslim groups objected to a court-ordered survey of the Shahi Jama Masjid. A trial court had ordered the survey as part of a lawsuit claiming that the mosque had been built in 1526 by Mughal ruler Babur on the site of a “centuries-old Shri Hari Har Temple dedicated to Lord Kalki”. Five persons were killed in the clashes. Read on.

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