SC Extends Stay on Appointment of Commission in Krishna Janmabhoomi-Shahi Idgah Dispute

The Supreme Court on Monday extended the interim stay on the Allahabad High Court order appointing a Commission for the Shahi Idgah Mosque in connection with the Mathura Sri Krishna Janmabhoomi-Shahi Idgah Masjid dispute until the next date of hearing.

A bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta adjourned the hearing to April and directed the concerned parties to complete pleadings and filed written submissions.

In the previous hearing, the top court had stayed the Allahabad High Court order appointing the Commission for the Shahi Idgah Mosque in connection with the Mathura Sri Krishna Janmabhoomi-Shahi Idgah Masjid dispute.

This order came in response to a plea filed by the Committee of Management Trust Shahi Masjid Idgah challenging the Allahabad High Court order for the appointment of a Commission for the Shahi Idgah Mosque. The court stated that proceedings before the trial court could continue, but the commission could not be executed until the next hearing.

The Committee of Management Trust Shahi Masjid Idgah filed an appeal in the Supreme Court challenging the Allahabad High Court order for the appointment of a Commission for the Shahi Idgah Mosque. The Special Leave Petition (SLP) challenged the High Court’s decision on December 14, allowing the appointment of a Commission for the Shahi Idgah Mosque where Muslims have been offering prayers for a long time.

The mosque committee argued that the High Court allowed the Commission’s appointment without considering their objections and the fact that the existence of the suit had been challenged. The petition claimed that the mosque committee’s application under Order VII Rule 11 of the CPC for the rejection of the plaint was still pending without a decision.

The Apex Court is also handling various matters related to the Mathura Krishna Janmabhoomi land dispute. The Committee of Management Trust Shahi Masjid Idgah previously filed an appeal challenging the Allahabad High Court’s order transferring all petitions related to Mathura’s Krishna Janmabhoomi land dispute from the District Court Mathura to itself.

The Allahabad High Court had transferred the cases related to the Krishna Janmabhoomi dispute from the District Court Mathura to itself on May 26, 2023.

Ranjana Agnihotri, a resident of Lucknow, filed a suit in the Mathura court claiming ownership of 13.37 acres of land at Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi and demanded the removal of the Shahi Idgah mosque built on the premises. The suit sought the removal of a mosque, allegedly constructed in 1669-70 on the orders of Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb, in the 13.37-acre premises of Katra Keshav Dev temple near the birthplace of Lord Krishna.