MATHURA, Dec 24: A civil court in Mathura on Saturday ordered a survey of the
Shahi Idgah mosque on a petition which claims that the mosque was built on Krishna
Janmabhoomi, Lord Krishna's birthplace.
In a similar order, the Varanasi court had ordered a videographic survey of
the Gyanvapi Masjid in Varanasi.
The survey will be done by the Archeological Survey of India and the report
will be submitted to the court by January 20 next.
The petition was filed by one Vishnu Gupta of an outfit called Hindu Sena.
The court will open after holidays on January 2 when further hearings will
take place. The court commissioner called aamin may be asked to organise the
survey as is the practice.
The petitions argue that the Shahi Idgah mosque was built at the Krishna Janmabhoomi
site on the orders of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb in 1669-70 and that the Krishna
temple on a land measuring 13.5 acres was destroyed and the mosque was built
there.
The Sunni Central Waqf Board and Shahi Idgah management had opposed the petition.
Several more petitions have also been filed praying for permission to offer
prayers and conduct ‘Jalabhishek’ (offering of water) at the site. They have
been filed on behalf of the deity, Keshav Dev or Lord Krishna. They want the
Muslims be restricted from offering namaz there and the mosque to be shifted.
The main petitioner is the Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha.
Mahendra Pratap Singh, one of the litigants and a lawyer, had said the petitions
sought appointment of court commission, which should visit Shahi Eidgah mosque
and conduct videography and photography. Besides, they also wanted scientific
excavations by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).
The Muslims have challenged the maintainability of the petitions on the ground
of the provisions of the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991, which
maintains the religious character of any place of worship as it existed on August
15, 1947.
