Mathura (Uttar Pradesh): A body of local priests on Tuesday submitted a memorandum to the Sub-divisional Magistrate Mathura seeking to stop the offering of namaz in the Shahi Idgah Mosque, which is located adjacent to Krishna Janmabhoom, with immediate effect.
There are several applications and petitions pending with various civil courts in Mathura, seeking the removal of the mosque allegedly built on the orders of Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb in 1669-70 on the 13.37-acre premises of Katra Keshav Dev temple near the birthplace of Lord Sri Krishna.
One of the appeals, which was 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.
Next friend is a legal term for a person, who represents another person, who is under disability or otherwise unable to maintain a suit on his or her own behalf and who does not have a legal guardian.
They have also demanded the annulment of a 1967 court ruling, ratifying a deal reached between the Shree Krishna Janmasthan Seva Sansthan and Shahi Idgah Management Committee, allowing the existence of the mosque near the temple.
On September 30, a Mathura civil court had refused to admit a suit to remove an Idgah 'built on Krishna Janmabhoomi'.
The court of the civil judge had dismissed the suit, filed by advocate Vishnu Jain, citing a bar under the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991.
The Act had only exempted the litigation on the ownership of the disputed Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid land in Ayodhya, but barred the courts from entertaining litigation that would alter the status quo of a religious place as existed on August 15, 1947.
READ: Plea for removal of Matura mosque: Court to hear arguments on its maintainability
