Explained: Meena Masjid Controversy in UP

A petition has been filed with the Mathura Civil Court requesting the removal of the Meena Masjid, which the petitioner claims was built on the grounds of the Sri Krishna Janmabhoomi complex.

Meena Masjid Controversy

The petitioner in the matter is Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha (ABHM) Treasurer Dinesh Sharma, who said the court will hear the matter on October 26. “I filed a petition with a civil judge court in Mathura, seeking the removal of the Meena Masjid, which is built on the land below the Sri Krishna Janmabhoomi complex. The court will hold the hearing on October 26,” Sharma said.

“I brought the case as a devotee and follower of Thakur Keshav Dev Ji Maharaj, owner of the land measuring 13.37 acres within Khasra (demarcation based on income records) No. 255 of Mathura Bangar (City of Mathura), where Sri Krishna Janmabhoomi is located,” Sharma said.

HIGHLIGHTS

• The mosque belongs to the Mughal era

• The suit has been registered in the court of civil judge (senior division) Mathura

• The petitioner had earlier filed a case seeking the removal of the Shahi Masjid Idgah

“On Janmashtami, I came across constructions put up allegedly by the Meena Masjid Intezamia Committee on behalf of Meena Masjid on land owned by Thakur Keshav Dev Ji Maharaj and my request to stop the ongoing construction was not heeded. Instead, the mosque's Intezamia Committee employee threatened me,” he alleged.

Many Hindus claim that the mosque was built by the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb by demolishing the birthplace of Lord Krishna.

Respondents to the new lawsuit are the President/President and Secretary, Uttar Pradesh Sunni Central Waqf Board, Lucknow, Intejamiya Committee, Meena Masjid (Deeg Gate), Mathura. The petitioner's counsel Deepak Sharma said that the court has fixed October 26 for hearing the matter.

Agreement

In about a dozen cases in Mathura, the petitioners, appearing for Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi, have challenged the October 12, 1968 agreement between Shri Krishna Janmasthan Seva Sangh and Shahi Masjid Idgah, which was part of Suit No. 43 of 1967. The petitioners claim that it has no legal validity as the Sri Krishna Janmabhoomi Trust, owned and titled, was not a party to the settlement.

The petitioners have also claimed that the mosque was built on the same spot where a temple was demolished by the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb. The management committee of Shahi Masjid Idgah has objected to these petitions saying that the agreement was reached in 1968.

The development comes on a day the Varanasi district court said it would continue hearing a plea seeking daily worship of Hindu deities, whose idols are located on the outer wall of the Gyanvapi mosque, rejecting the argument of the mosque committee that the matter should be maintained. Not eligible Places of Worship Act.

The 1991 Act provides for the maintenance of the religious character of any place of worship as it existed on August 15, 1947, and prohibits its conversion.

The respondent to the new trial is the President/President U.P. Sunni Central Waqf Board Lucknow and Secretary Intejamiya Committee Meena Masjid Deeg Gate Mathura, the counsel for the plaintiff said.

"The basic purpose of the suit is to protect the property of Thakur Keshav Dev Ji Maharaj as he has faith in Hindu culture.

The petitioner's counsel said, "The contention of the petitioner is that he has every right to stop the construction and ensure that the mosque is shifted."

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