Mathura : The Supreme Court issued a stay on Tuesday against the Allahabad High Court’s directive appointing a commissioner to inspect a mosque in relation to the Mathura’s Sri Krishna Janmabhoomi-Shahi Idgah Masjid dispute case. While the top court halted the survey order, it allowed the trial in the case to proceed in the Allahabad High Court.
In response to a petition filed by the Muslim side, a bench comprising Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta deemed the Hindu bodies’ application for the appointment of a court commissioner as “vague” and emphasized the need for specificity in its purpose.
“You can’t file a vague application for the appointment of a court commissioner. It should be very specific on the purpose. You can’t leave everything to the court to look into it,” stated the bench to senior advocate Shyam Divan, representing the Hindu bodies.
Advocate Reena N Singh, representing Bhagwan Sri Krishna Lalla Virajman, reacted to the court’s judgment, clarifying that the top court had not stayed the trial, and it would continue in the Allahabad High Court.
“The court heard about the survey order of the Allahabad High Court case, which was being challenged by the Muslim side. The Intezamia Committee had challenged the order, and today, the Supreme Court stayed the survey order only. But they have not stayed the trial. The trial at Allahabad High Court will continue…The next date of hearing is on 23rd January,” Singh informed a news agency.
The Sri Krishna Janmabhoomi-Shahi Idgah Masjid case revolves around the site in Mathura where Hindu petitioners claim a temple once stood. They contend that signs in the Shahi Idgah mosque suggest it was a temple, and the mosque was built atop the birthplace of Hindu Lord Krishna. On December 14, 2023, the Allahabad High Court had granted the Hindu petitioners’ plea for a court-monitored survey of the Shahi-Idgah Masjid in Mathura, believed to be the birthplace of Lord Krishna.
