HC notice to UP over demolition of mosque

Justice Rohit Ranjan Agarwal passed the order on a writ petition filed by advocate Mohammad Tanveer Ahmad, and issued notices to the Uttar Pradesh government and Abdul Hamid, manager/maulavi of the mosque directing them to file responses within three weeks.

The city magistrate, acting under the Uttar Pradesh Public Premises (Eviction and Unauthorised Occupants) Act, 1972, had ordered the eviction and demolition of the 315-square-metre mosque and imposed damages of ₹6.41 crore on its management. The district court dismissed the appeal against the order on September 2, following which the mosque was demolished on September 5.

Senior advocate Ashish Kumar Singh, appearing for the petitioner, argued that the eviction order was passed without properly determining the ownership of the land. He said revenue records showed the names of Wahid Khan and Yaqub Khan and that the mosque had also been entered in the waqf register.