As SC on Friday refused to stay the Allahabad HC's order allowing a court-monitored survey of the Shahi Idgah mosque premises adjacent to the
Krishna Janmabhoomi
temple in Mathura, TOI puts a spotlight on the decades old dispute:
Hindu Side's Claim
Raja Veer Singh Bundela of Orchha built a temple on 13.37-acre land in 1618. The Shahi Idgah mosque, which exists now, was constructed in 1670 on the site of this temple after destroying it, on the orders of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb.
This is mentioned in the official court bulletin of February 1670, the petitions say. They claim the mosque was built in a complex which Shahi Idgah shares with Katra Keshav Dev Temple, close to the spot known as 'Krishna Janmabhoomi'. Asking for the removal of the mosque, petitioners' advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain said a lotus-shaped pillar, which is characteristic of Hindu temples, exists on the mosque premises. This proved that the structure in fact was a temple, the pleas say. The applications also submitted that Hindu religious symbols and engravings, characteristic of a temple, are visible at the base of the pillar. Also, an image of Hindu deity 'Sheshnag' is there.
Counterclaims
Two defendants, Shahi Idgah mosque committee and UP Sunni Central Waqf Board, claimed that the Shahi Idgah mosque does not fall within the ambit of 13.37-acre land at Katra Keshav Dev. They also claimed that the petitioners' contention that Krishna's birthplace lies beneath the mosque was not based on facts and not supported by any documentary evidence.
What Was The Compromise?
Jugal Kishore Birla, who had purchased the 13.37-acre land from Raja Banaras, set up Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi Trust. In 1951, the land was placed in the custody of the trust with the condition that its property will never be sold or pledged. Thereafter, Shri Krishna Janmasthan Seva Sangh was set up in 1956 to manage the affairs of the temple adjacent to the said land. In 1964, the Sangh filed a plea in a local court seeking restoration of the land. However, it reached a compromise with the masjid committee in 1968 conceding that it would have no right over the land concerned.
But the suit filed in 2020 in a Mathura civil court by advocate Ranjana Agnihotri and seven others has challenged this. The Hindu side filed petitions as the "next friend of Bhagwan Sri Krishna Virajman". The plea was rejected by a civil court, but the district court later agreed to hear it, calling it 'maintainable'. Within two and half years, 17 more pleas were filed in the same court. In May 2023, the high court summoned all the 18 pleas to adjudicate.
English (US) ·