First case on Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi issue restored
AGRA : The first among the 11 cases filed on Sri Krishna Janmabhoomi issue in recent years was restored to its original number on Thursday and July 1, 2022 was fixed for filing of reply by defendants in the case.
The case was filed on September 25, 2020 in the court of civil judge (senior division), Mathura, but was dismissed on September 30, 2020 on the grounds that the petitioners, mostly lawyers from Lucknow and eastern U.P., had no right to sue and thus the case was not maintainable.
The aggrieved petitioners filed a revision in the court of district judge, Mathura, which had to decide the issue of maintainability after the opposite parties, including management committee of Shahi Eidgah mosque, appeared in the revision court and claimed that the Places of
Worship Act, 1991, bars maintainability of such case which is also much delayed thus time barred.
The Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act 1991 enacted on September, 18, 1991 is a legislation to prohibit conversion of any place of worship and to provide for the maintenance of the religious character of any place of worship as it existed on August 15, 1947.
“The court of district judge, while allowing the revision, ordered that case is maintainable because the Places of Worship Act, 1991, in no way bars this specific case filed to challenge ‘so called’ compromise entered fraudulently on 12.10.1968 between Sri Krishna Janmsthan Seva Sangh and Shahi Masjid Idgah, which was part of suit no 43 of 1967 alleging that it had got no legal validity because the Sri Krishna Janmabhoomi Trust, having ownership and title, was not party to the settlement,” said Gopal Khandelwal, the counsel for the petitioners in the case.
“The court of civil judge (senior division) Mathura restored the case today (Thursday) in compliance of the order of district judge, Mathura, and next date fixed in the case is July 1, 2022 for filing of reply by defendants (opposite parties),” said Khandelwal after hearing of the case on Thursday.