Budaun,

16 Jan (HS): A lawyer claimed on Friday that the hearing in the Neelkanth

Mahadev temple against Shamsi Jama Masjid dispute has been rescheduled for

February 12 after the matter was reallocated to Additional Civil Judge (Senior

Division) Suman Tiwari's bench.

When

Judge Tiwari went on maternity leave, the case was moved to Judge Pushpendra

Chaudhary of the Fast Track Court. The case has been transferred to her court

after her return, according to attorney Arvind Singh Parmar. According to

Parmar, the next hearing is planned for February 12, when the court will

consider if a subordinate court has the competence to hear such a claim.

The

issue began in 2022, when Mukesh Patel, then-convener of the Akhil Bharat Hindu

Mahasabha, claimed that a Neelkanth Mahadev temple existed at the Shamsi Jama

Masjid site and wanted permission to worship within the edifice. Anwar Alam,

counsel for the Shamsi Jama Masjid management committee, said that the Supreme

Court's orders prohibit lower courts from hearing such issues. Therefore, the

lawsuit should be dismissed.

The

Hindu side argued that the Supreme Court's rulings do not apply to current or

pre-existing cases, and that the case should be heard on its merits. Alam,

representing the Shamsi Jama Masjid management Committee, stated that the

committee had submitted an application under the Places of Worship (Special

Provisions) Act, 1991. He noted that the Supreme Court has already instructed

all courts in the country not to issue any rulings in instances where the 1991

Act is relevant.

Hindusthan Samachar / Abhishek Awasthi