Krishna Janambhoomi case: Plea in SC seeks scientific survey of Shahi Idgah mosque site

The plea contended that the petitioner had filed a civil suit before civil judge senior division Mathura against the Shahi Masjid Eidgah Management Committee and UP Sunni Central seeking a relief of declaration and injunction claiming right of the Hindu community over the alleged masjid Eidgah which was constructed after demolishing Hindu temples. -- Reports ETV Bharat's Sumit Saxena.

New Delhi:A plea has been moved in the Supreme Court by Krishna Janmabhoomi Mukti Nirman Trust seeking a Gyanvapi complex-like scientific survey of the historic Shahi Idgah mosque in Mathura.

The plea contended that the petitioner had filed a civil suit before civil judge senior division Mathura against the Shahi Masjid Eidgah Management Committee and UP Sunni Central seeking a relief of declaration and injunction claiming right of the Hindu community over the alleged masjid Eidgah which was constructed after demolishing Hindu temples.

The plea said such construction cannot be a mosque and also claimed the alleged compromise dated October 12, 1968, on the basis of which the decree was passed, was "sham and fraud" which was played on the court and the compromise and decree were null and void, and sought right to worship at the site of Shri Krishna Janmasthan.

The plea, filed through advocate Himashu Shekhar Tripathi, said, “To ensure the credibility of the claim regarding the disputed land, it is imperative to carry out a thorough scientific survey. This survey will offer empirical data and substantiate the accuracy of their statements, providing a reliable basis for any conclusions or decisions”.

The plea contended that in order to fully comprehend the religious history and the significance of the site in a religious context concerning the land in dispute, a comprehensive investigation and study of its past are essential through a proper scientific survey.

The plea claimed that Shahi Masjid Eidgah Management Committee have not only caused extensive destruction to the maximum area in the past but also continues to engage in ongoing destruction, which persists until the present time. Their actions have resulted in the continuous degradation of the area in dispute, it added.

The plea said, “Due to lack of proper property demarcation and absence of a scientific survey conducted by the concerned authority to officially confirm the temple’s status as defined by Section 4 of the Place of Worship (Special Provision) Act, 1991, raised serious concerns about the potential for gradual destruction by the Respondent no.1 (Shahi Masjid Eidgah Management Committee)”.

In July, the Allahabad High Court dismissed a plea by the trust, requesting the court to direct the Mathura civil judge to decide its application for a scientific survey of Krishna Janmabhoomi-Shahi Masjid Eidgah premises first before deciding on the objections raised against the suit by the opposite parties: the management committee of the mosque and the Uttar Pradesh Sunni Central Waqf Board.