Plea for removal of Matura mosque: Court to hear arguments on its maintainability

Mahura District and Session Judge Sadhna Rani Thakur, who had earlier reserved her judgement on the issue for January 11, decided to hear further arguments on the maintainability of the appeal after respondents Uttar Pradesh Sunni Central Waqf Board and Shahi Masjid Idgah Trust pressed for making further arguments.

Mathura:A Mathura court on Monday fixed January 18 for hearing arguments on whether an appeal against the dismissal of a plea for the removal of a 17th-century mosque built near the Lord Krishna temple in the city is worth adjudication.

Mahura District and Session Judge Sadhna Rani Thakur, who had earlier reserved her judgement on the issue for January 11, decided to hear further arguments on the maintainability of the appeal after respondents Uttar Pradesh Sunni Central Waqf Board and Shahi Masjid Idgah Trust pressed for making further arguments.

The appeal had been filed by Lucknow resident Ranjana Agnihotri and others with Agnihotri moving the court as the next friend of child deity Bhagwan Srikrishna Virajman at Katra Keshav Dev temple here.

The court has fixed January 18 for the arguments, said government counsel (Civil) Sanjay Rai. We have presented a fresh ruling on the maintainability of the suit, he said.

A counsel for respondents said he needed to argue before the court that only an appeal against the dismissal of a regular suit by the civil judge is admissible for hearing and not an appeal of a suit listed as the miscellaneous one before the civil judge.

Besides challenging the dismissal of their original plea by a senior civil judge, the plaintiffs have sought an order to the mosque management to "remove the construction raised by them encroaching upon the land within the area of the Katra Ksehav Dev temple".

The appeal has also demanded the annulment of an earlier Mathura court ruling ratifying a land deal reached between the Shri Krishna Janmasthan Seva Sansthan and the Shahi Idgah Management Committee.

PTI