BUDAUN: A court hearing a plea of a Hindu outfit, which had sought permission to worship at Jama Masjid Shamsi here claiming it was a temple, on Tuesday asked the Muslim side to complete their arguments by December 10. Arguing his case, the lawyer for Shamsi Shahi Jama Masjid Intezamia Committee and Waqf Board Asrar Ahmed questioned the locus standi of the Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha to file the petition in the matter.
Urging the court to dismiss the plea, the counsel submitted that the mosque is about 850 years old. He stated that there is “no existence of a temple” there and worship by Hindus had never been conducted in the mosque in the past. He argued that the Hindu outfit does not have the legal right to become a plaintiff in the matter. Ahmed also said that filing such a petition in the court violates the Places of Worship Act, 1991.
Civil Judge (Senior Division) Amit Kumar Singh fixed December 10 as the next date of hearing. The matter started in 2022 when Mukesh Patel, the then convenor of Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha, had claimed that the Neelkanth Mahadev temple existed at the mosque site. The case has come into the limelight after the violence in the neighbouring Sambhal district during a protest against a court-ordered survey of a mosque which the petitioners claimed was built after destroying an old temple.
Advocate Ved Prakash Sahu, who represents the Hindu side in the Budaun case, on Tuesday accused the Muslim side of trying to drag the matter. The court has directed the Muslim side to appear in the court on December 10 at 10.30 am for arguments and it has also directed that the Muslim side will have to complete it on the same day, after which the petitioner will present its side before the court, according to the lawyers.
Sahu claimed, “We have sufficient evidence and we are confident will get permission from the court for worship.” Mukesh Patel claimed that the Neelankant temple in the fort of King Mahipal was demolished by the ruler of the slave dynasty and invader Shamsuddin Iltutmish and converted into the mosque.
“We will get our rights, for which we will even go to the Supreme Court if we have to,” Patel said. The mosque is built on an elevated area called Sotha Mohalla and is considered the highest structure in the town of Budaun. It is also believed to be the third oldest existing and seventh largest mosque in the country, having a capacity of 23,500.
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