Shimla Municipal Court queries Sanjauli mosque committee on status of remaining two floors

Shimla: The Shimla Municipal Commissioner's Court, which directed the demolition of the top three floors of the Sanjauli Mosque here, on Saturday sought a reply from the mosque committee and the Himachal Pradesh Waqf Board on the status of the remaining two floors.

It has been alleged that the mosque was constructed illegally, a charge denied by the Waqf Board.

On October 5, the Commissioner's Court had ordered the Sanjauli Mosque Committee to raze the top three floors of the mosque within a stipulated time of two months following which the Committee had started the demolition work with removal of the mosque roof.

After the hearing of the case in MC Court on Saturday, Himachal Pradesh Waqf Board Office bearer Qutbuddin said that the court asked them to submit a reply with regard to the status of the ground and first floors of the mosque.

Earlier, advocate Jagat Pal, who was representing the locals, had given a detailed account in the court on the status of the dispute since 2010 when a notice was given by the municipal body for the demolition of the single-storey under-construction mosque.

He claimed that the orders were not implemented and during a spot inspection by the junior engineer in 2018, it was found that five stories were constructed.

However, the Waqf Board had claimed that they had all the papers of the land where the mosque was built.

Ten people were injured during a protest demanding the demolition of a portion of a mosque in the Sanjauli area of Shimla on September 11 which they claimed was built illegally.

A day later, the president of Sanjauli Mosque Latif Mohammad and other people of the Muslim community offered to demolish the three unauthorised floors of the mosque and sought the permission of the Municipal Commissioner in this regard.

However, the All Himachal Muslim Organisation (AHMO) had challenged the October 5 order passed by the Municipal Commissioner's Court in the District Court on the plea that the persons who gave the representation had no authority to make any such submission and the next hearing is fixed for November 18.