The Lucknow Bench of Allahabad High Court on Thursday ordered the Mathura court to dispose of all the cases of the Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi-Shahi Idgah Masjid dispute within four months.
The High Court was hearing the petitions for early disposal of the cases of Mathura’s Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi and Shahi Idgah Masjid dispute on Thursday. The High Court also said that if the Sunni Waqf Board and other parties are not involved in the hearing or attempts are made to hang the matter, then the court can issue ex-parte orders.
The High Court’s order came on the plea filed by the petitioner Narayani Sena national president Manish Yadav. In his plea, the petitioner had appealed for the early disposal of the case.
So far nine cases have been filed in Mathura court in the case of Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi and Shahi Idgah Masjid. The District Judge has reserved the decision on a plea over the matter. The court will give its decision on July 1.
Ranjana Agnihotri, a resident of Lucknow had filed a suit demanding the ownership of 13.37 acres of land of Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi. In her legal suit, Agnihotri demanded to remove the Shahi Idgah mosque built in Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi.
The suit filed in the Mathura court has sought the removal of a mosque said to be built in 1669-70 on the orders of the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb in the 13.37-acre premises of Katra Keshav Dev temple near the birthplace of Lord Krishna.
The hearing of both the parties in this matter has been completed on May 6 and after reserving the decision by the District Judge, it has been fixed for May 19.
A total of nine cases including Narayani Sena, Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi Mukti Nyas, Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha and others are pending in the court in which separate hearings are going on.
The plaintiffs and sages of all the cases have welcomed the directions of the High Court.
Earlier, the Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi Trust in Mathura stopped using loudspeakers to broadcast prayers of Lord Shri Krishna while complying with the direction of the Uttar Pradesh government.
On April 21, UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said that permission would be required to use loudspeakers at religious places. He also said that the sound of the loudspeakers must not be heard outside the premises.
The temple trust took the decision to stop using the loudspeakers on Wednesday. The decision came in response to the state government’s guidelines issued on Tuesday on the use of loudspeakers. The secretary of the temple trust Kapil Sharma said that the loudspeakers have been turned off since Wednesday. The loudspeakers were installed on the top of the Bhagwat Bhawan.
Sharma said, “We have stopped the use of loudspeakers as per the orders of the state government. This decision has been taken to maintain communal harmony here. Soon arrangements will be made to ensure that the sound from the loudspeaker remains within the temple premises only.”
However, a few devotees at the venue expressed their reservations against the decision. A devotee said, “As per the Hindu traditions, it is believed that if you listen to these prayers on loudspeakers, you get God’s blessings while also finding a divine connection.” “I do not feel happy following the decision to switch off the loudspeakers,” said another devotee.
