A Hindutva outfit has filed an application before a Mathura court seeking an order to stop namaz inside the city’s Shahi Idgah mosque and on the road adjacent to it, Bar and Bench reported on Friday.
The petitioner body Sri Krishna Janmabhumi Mukti Aandolan Samiti, which has filed the petition, is also pushing for the razing down of the mosque, located next to the Shri Krishna Temple Complex.
Advocate Mahendra Pratap Singh, the president of the outfit, has contended that earlier, people did not use to offer namaz inside the mosque. He claimed that in the past few years, Muslims have been offering prayers at the site, and that the prayers should be stopped.
“As per Holy Quran also, namaz can’t be offered on disputed land,” the organisation said in its plea. “The opponents are deliberately trying to disturb communal harmony and they are even offering Namaz on the road.”
The Sri Krishna Janmabhumi Mukti Aandolan Samiti has claimed that Mughal emperor Aurangzebhad built the mosque after dismantling a temple of Hindu deity Krishna in 1669, according to Live Law. The outfit has claimed said that the walls of the mosque still bear Hindu religious symbols.
The Mathura court is likely to hear the case on January 5.
In October 2020, a district court in Mathura had admitted a petition seeking the removal of the Shahi Idgah mosque. The petitioner, Advocate Ranjana Agnihotri, had earlier filed a similar case in a Mathura civil court. However, the court had dismissed the suit.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!