HC dismisses plea against allotment of land for mosque
LUCKNOW: The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad high court on Monday dismissed a petition challenging the allotment of five acres of land in Dhannipur village of Ayodhya district for the construction of a mosque after the Delhi-based sisters who challenged the move withdrew their plea.
The Uttar Pradesh government allotted the land to the Uttar Pradesh Sunni Central Waqf Board (UPSCWB) for construction of a mosque in compliance with the Supreme Court’s November 2019 order that allotted the site, where the Babi mosque once stood, to the Hindu claimants. The court order ended a decades-old dispute between Hindu and Muslim claimants to the land.
A two-judge bench of justices Devendra Kumar Upadhyay and justice Manish Kumar of the high court passed Monday’s order after the petitioners agreed to withdraw the plea. The high court also gave the petitioners permission to file a fresh plea after ascertaining facts.
Delhi-based sisters Rani Kapoor Punjabi alias Rani Baluja and Rama Rani Punjabi filed the petition on February 3, claiming ownership of the five-acre land.
“After arguing at some length, the learned senior advocate appearing for the petitioners stated that he be permitted to withdraw the petition with liberty to the petitioner to file afresh petition,” the court said.
“In view of the aforesaid, the writ petition is dismissed as withdrawn with the aforesaid liberty,” the court added.
Senior advocate HGS Parihar appeared on behalf of the petitioners, assisted by advocate Meenakshi Singh. Additional advocate general RK Singh appeared before the court on behalf of the state government.
Opposing the writ petition, Singh told the court that the plot numbers allotted for the construction of the mosque were different from those mentioned in the petition.
The state presented a letter before the HC on behalf of the Ayodhya administration, stating that the land being disputed by the petitioners was in the adjoining village of Sheikhpur Jafar, and not in Dhannipur village.
The two sisters claimed in their petition that their father Gyan Chand Punjabi was allotted 28 acres in Dhannipur village by the Nazul department (responsible for government land allotments) for five years for ₹1,560 when the family moved to Faizabad district (now Ayodhya) from Punjab in Pakistan after Partition in 1947. They said their father remained in possession of the land beyond that period. Later, his name was included in the revenue records, the petitioners added. Subsequently, when his name was removed, their father filed an appeal before the additional commissioner, Ayodhya, which was allowed, they said.
NEW DELHI: The candidates of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Monday filed their nominations for the bypolls in five municipal wards, to be held on February 28.
The by-elections will be held for three wards under the East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) and two under the North corporation.
The wards where bypolls will be held include Ward No. 32N (Rohini-c), Ward No. 62N (Shalimar Bagh North) -- both in north Delhi --and Ward No. 02-E (Trilokpuri), Ward No. 08-E (Kalyanpuri), and Ward No. 41-E (Chauhan Bangar) in east Delhi.
The BJP candidates filed their nominations at the SDM offices concerned in the presence of senior party leaders, including Delhi BJP chief Adesh Gupta, MPS, MLAS and supporters.
According to election officials, till 4pm, 15 nominations were filed for Trilokpuri ward, 16 for Kalyanpuri ward, 10 for Chauhan Bangar ward, 18 for Rohini C ward and four nominations for Shalimar Bagh north ward.
BJP candidate from Shalimar Bagh north, Surbhi Jaju, filed her nomination at the additional DM’S office in Kanjhawala. Delhi BJP chief Gupta along with party’s Delhi unit general secrebought, tary Harsh Malhotra were present during her filing.
Gupta also addressed party workers in Shalimar Bagh and said the area is a stronghold of the saffron party. He expressed confidence that this by-election will be “huge win” for Jaju.
The AAP candidate from the ward Sunita Mishra also filed her nomination at the DM’S office in Kanjhawala.
The BJP candidate from Rohini C ward Rakesh Goel and the AAP candidate from the ward Ram Chander filed their nomination papers at the SDM office in Alipur. Goel was accompanied by BJP MP Hans Raj Hans while Chander reached the SDM office with his supporters and AAP leaders.
Ghonda MLA Ajay Mahawar along with party workers accompanied Chauhan Bangar Ward candidate Mohammad Nazir Ansari as he filled his nomination at SDM office on GT Road in
Seelampur. The AAP candidate and former MLA Mohammad Ishraque Khan also filed his nomination papers at the SDM office in the presence of Seelampur MLA Abdul Rehman.
The AAP candidate from Trilokpuri ward Vijay Kumar filed his nomination papers at Geeta Colony SDM office. He was accompanied by party’s Kalkaji MLA Atishi along with other leaders. Similarly, BJP candidate Om Prakash Gugarwal filed his nomination from Trilokpuri East ward. BJP’S Laxmi Nagar MLA Abhay Verma and Vishwas Nagar MLA Om Prakash Sharma were present on the occasion.
BJP candidate from Kalyanpuri ward filed his nomination at Shastri Nagar SDM office in the presence of east Delhi MP Gautam Gambhir and other leaders.
AAP candidate Dheerendra Kumar, a social worker, also filed his nomination for Kalyanpuri ward in the presence of party leaders.
Senior AAP leader and the party’s municipal affairs in-charge Durgesh Pathak said the civic bodies are a den of corruption and the public wants AAP to come to power in the local bodies. “The five AAP candidates will win by an overwhelming majority. The citizens of Delhi have made up their mind to throw BJP out of MCD and elect the AAP,” Pathak said.
The citizens of Delhi have made up their mind to throw BJP out of MCD and elect the AAP. DURGESH PATHAK,
Senior AAP leader