The Allahabad High Court has allowed the Sambhal Shahi Jama Masjid to be referred to as a “disputed mosque” following a verbal plea by the lawyer representing Hindu plaintiffs. While the lawyer initially requested the term “disputed structure,” Justice Rohit Ranjan Agarwal instructed the stenographer to use “structure of disputed Masjid” in the order. The court was hearing a plea from the mosque management committee seeking permission for whitewashing and cleaning of the masjid, a request initially submitted on February 27. The next hearing in the case is scheduled for March 10, 2025.
During an earlier hearing, the court directed the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to inspect the mosque and determine the necessity of whitewashing. The ASI report concluded that whitewashing was not required but recommended cleaning to remove dust and vegetation. The report also stated that past renovations had altered the mosque’s original historic structure. The mosque management committee denied these claims and was asked to submit its objections, which it did on Tuesday. Meanwhile, the ASI has been supervising the ongoing cleaning process as per court orders.
The controversy surrounding the mosque intensified after violence erupted in Sambhal on November 24, 2024, following a court-ordered survey of the Mughal-era structure by an advocate commissioner. The clashes between protesters opposing the survey and security personnel resulted in four deaths. In response, the Uttar Pradesh government formed a three-member judicial commission, including retired Allahabad HC judge Devendra Kumar Arora, retired IAS officer Amit Mohan Prasad, and retired IPS officer Arvind Kumar Jain, to investigate the incident.
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