New Delhi, September 1(HS):

The Supreme Court has directed maintaining the status quo in the Shahi Jama Masjid dispute in Sambhal district, Uttar Pradesh. A bench led by Justice P.S. Narasimha instructed the registry to file a report on the matter. The court initially issued this status quo order on August 22 and has served notices to the Hindu parties involved.

The petition challenging a Allahabad High Court verdict has been filed by the Masjid Committee. The High Court had upheld the civil court’s order for a survey of the mosque premises in Sambhal. Notably, on May 19, the High Court ruled that the Shahi Jama Masjid case does not fall under the ambit of the Places of Worship Act.

Senior lawyer Hufaiza Ahmadi, representing the petitioner, argued that the High Court’s conclusion excluding the mosque from the Act’s scope is erroneous. During the hearing, the court inquired whether this case should be tagged along with other petitions concerning the Places of Worship Act.

Conversely, Vishnu Shankar Jain, counsel for the Hindu side, contended that the case does not fall within the Act's jurisdiction since the mosque precincts are under the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), which exempts it from the Act’s provisions.

The Supreme Court’s intervention underscores the delicate nature of the dispute and sets the stage for further judicial examination while maintaining existing conditions on the ground.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar