Allahabad HC allows survey of Shahi Idgah mosque in Mathura

The Allahabad High Court on Thursday allowed a court-monitored survey of the Shahi Idgah premises adjoining the Sri Krishna Janmabhoomi temple in Mathura. In its order, the court agreed to the appointment of an advocate commissioner to oversee the survey of the mosque, which the petitioners claim has artefacts suggesting that it was a Hindu temple once.The court said the modalities of the survey will be discussed at the next hearing on December 18."Our application, where we demanded a survey of Shahi Idgah Masjid by an advocate commissioner, has been approved by the Allahabad High Court," said Vishnu Shankar Jain, the lawyer for the Hindu side."My demand was that Shahi Idgah Masjid bears many signs and symbols of the Hindu temple. To ascertain the actual position, an advocate commissioner is required. It's a landmark judgment by the court," Jain emphasised.
Justice Mayank Kumar Jain had reserved the order on the application on November 16.The Hindu side claims that the Idgah mosque was constructed by Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb by demolishing a temple on 13.37 acres of Lord Krishna's birthplace. This original suit is pending before the High Court.As many as 17 suits are pending in the High Court, with the main pleas seeking a declaration that the land under dispute --where the Shahi Eidgah Mosque is situated--vests in the deity Lord Shri Krishna Virajman. Additionally, they seek a direction for the defendant to remove the mosque.
The Muslim side had earlier sought to dismiss the petition by citing the Places of Worship Act of 1991, which maintains the religious status of any place of worship as it was on August 15, 1947.In 1968, an agreement was signed between the Shri Krishna Janmasthan Seva Sansthan and the Shahi Masjid Idgah Trust, under which 10.9 acres of land was given for the Krishna Janmabhoomi and the remaining 2.5 acres of land to the mosque.There are a total of 18 cases in the High Court concerning the Krishna Janmabhoomi-Shahi Masjid dispute, after the court transferred to itself all pending suits before the local court in Mathura.