Petitioner seeks appointment of expert panel
AGRA : A petitioner in the Sri Krishna Janmabhoomi case of Mathura has moved yet another application, seeking appointment of a four-member expert commission to visit the Shahi Eidgah mosque (adjoining the Sri Krishna temple complex) and apprise the court about the details. The latest application was filed in the in court of Civil Judge (Senior Division) Mathura.
“We have been alleging that there are marks and signs which make clear that mosque was built from remnants of temple (Sri Krishna Janmabhoomi temple in Mathura) but these evidences are being removed. Thus, we moved application urging the court to appoint a four-member expert commission to visit the mosque adjoining the temple and submit a report before the court,” stated Mahendra Pratap Singh, the petitioner and counsel in the case before Civil Judge (Senior Division) Mathura. Arguments will continue in Sri Krishna Janmabhoomi case on October 18, the date for the next hearing.
About half-a-dozen cases have been filed in the courts of Mathura on the Sri Krishna Janmabhoomi issue since last year.
Petitioners in these cases have alleged that Mughal emperor Aurangzeb had damaged a temple and while using building material, including stones from the temple, created a structure (popularly known as Eidgah) in place of the temple.
These cases filed on behalf of the deity Bhagwan Keshav Dev (Lord Krishna) seek removal of the Shahi Eidgah (mosque), adjacent to the Shri Krishna temple complex in Mathura, and transfer of 13.37-acre land to the deity.
“The court heard arguments today (Thursday) on pending applications and has fixed the 18th of October for the remaining arguments by both parties on pending applications,” Singh said.
The counsel for the management committee of the Shahi Eidgah Mosque has challenged the maintainability of the suit and alleged that case has been filed without required evidence.
Tanveer Ahmed, secretary, Shahi Eidgah management committee and counsel for the same body in the case, alleged that petitioners are moving one application after another with the sole intention to delay the case.
“The management committee of Shahi Eidgah had moved an application challenging the maintainability of the suit before civil judge (senior division) in Mathura and had prayed for dismissal of the suit under Order 7 Rule 11 of the Civil Procedure Code,” said Ahmed.
“We had based our application challenging the maintainability of the ongoing suit on provisions laid in The Places Of Worship Act (Special Provision) of 1991 which prohibits conversion of any place of worship and provides for the maintenance of the religious character of any place of worship as it existed on the 15th day of August, 1947,” said Ahmed.