The recent Allahabad High Court order allowing the survey of the Shahi Idgah premises has brought back in focus the Krishna Janmabhoomi-Shahi Idgah case. The case pertains to the disputed site in Uttar Pradesh's Mathura, where petitioners claim that the Shahi Idgah adjoining the Krishna Janmabhoomi temple in Mathura holds signs suggesting that it was a Hindu temple once.
The Krishna Janmabhoomi-Shahi Idgah case is the second temple-mosque dispute in which the high court has allowed to conduct a survey over the past months.
Earlier, a survey was ordered in the Gyanvapi-Kashi Vishwanath temple dispute in Varanasi. On Thursday, the Allahabad High Court allowed a court-monitored survey of the Shahi Idgah premises in Mathura.
Several claims have been made about the Shahi Idgah mosque in Mathura, which lay at the centre of the dispute.
1. Shahi Idgah built on Krishna Janmabhoomi land: In Mathura, Bal Krishna through Hindu Sena chief Vishnu Gupta and others had filed a suit in the court of Civil Judge Senior Division (III) for shifting of the Shahi Masjid Idgah. They had claimed that the mosque was constructed on a part of the 13.37-acre land of the Sri Krishna Janmabhoomi Trust.
2. Shahi Idgah built by Aurangzeb: Some petitioners maintained that the Shahi Idgah mosque was built on temple land during the reign of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb. They claimed that the mosque was 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.
3. Shahi Idgah and birthplace of Lord Krishna: The Hindu petitioners also believe the mosque, “built on the orders of Emperor Aurangzeb”, was constructed atop the birthplace of Lord Krishna in Mathura.
4. Shahi Idgah is a temple: Some applicants alleged that various indications exist to support the view that the Shahi-Idgah Mosque is, in fact, a Hindu temple.
Advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain, appearing on behalf of the petitioners, said on Thursday the application submitted to the high court stated that a lotus-shaped pillar characteristic of Hindu temples exists on the mosque premises.
The application added that an image of Hindu deity 'Sheshnag' is also present there. It was also submitted that Hindu religious symbols and engravings are visible at the base of the pillar, news agency PTI reported.
This application was filed as part of an original suit pending before the Allahabad High Court, in which the plaintiffs or the Hindu side have claimed that Mathura's Shahi Idgah mosque was built over Krishna Janmabhoomi land.
The main suit seeks the removal of the Mathura Shahi Idgah Masjid on the ground that it was built over Krishna Janmabhoomi land, Bar and Bench reported.
Meanwhile, a PIL filed earlier in Uttar Pradesh's Mathura district sought to declare the site of the Shahi Idgah Mosque as Krishna Janmabhoomi or the birthplace of Lord Krishna. However, the plea was dismissed by the Allahabad High Court on October 13 as the issue was already a part of other "pending suits".
The petitioner had also asked for the land to be handed over to the Hindus and a proper trust be formed to build a temple on the Krishna Janmabhoomi Janmasthan land.
So far, nine cases have been filed in Mathura court in the case of Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi and Shahi Idgah Masjid.
A civil court had earlier dismissed the main suit on September 30, 2020, citing the bar on admitting the case under the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991. "However, this decision was overturned after an appeal before the Mathura district court," the Bar and Bench reported.
According to the report, the appellants had asserted their right to move the suit in view of their fundamental religious rights under Article 25 of the Constitution of India. Later, in May 2022, the Mathura district court held that the suit was maintainable.
(With inputs from agencies)
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