UP: Jaunpur court refuses to order survey of 14-century mosque, cites SC directive
A Hindu organisation approached the court claiming that the mosque was originally a temple that was demolished in the 14th century.
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A court in Uttar Pradesh’s Jaunpur district on Monday refused to order a survey of a 14th-century mosque, citing the Supreme Court’s interim directive that barred courts from passing orders in pending cases about the religious character of places of worship, Live Law reported.
A Hindu organisation called the Swaraj Vahini Association has filed a lawsuit before the court claiming that the Atala Mosque in Jaunpur was originally a temple. The suit claimed that the temple was demolished after 14th-century ruler Firuz Shah Tughlaq invaded India.
The Swaraj Vahini Association demanded that Hindus be given the right to worship at the site, and that non-Hindus be barred from entering the premises.
The Jaunpur court, however, declined to pass any orders with respect to the plea, referring to a Supreme Court order from December 12 in response to a clutch of petitions challenging the constitutional validity of the 1991 Places of Worship Special Provisions Act.
A three-judge bench of the Supreme Court on December 12 directed courts not to pass any interim or final orders, including survey directions, in pending lawsuits concerning the religious character of places of worship.
In view of the directive, the Jaunpur court on Monday scheduled the case about the Atala Mosque for further hearing on March 2 next year – 12 days after the...
