SHIMLA: The Shimla district court on Saturday dismissed an appeal challenging the municipal commissioner’s order of demolishing top three illegally built floors of a mosque in Sanjauli. The All Himachal Muslims Organisation (AHMO) had filed the plea, seeking a stay on the demolition order.
Shimla municipal commissioner Bhupender Kumar Attri had on Oct 5 ordered the Sanjauli mosque committee to raze the top three floors of the five-storey mosque within two months.
This came after the mosque committee voluntarily agreed to remove the illegal portions of the building, and gave an undertaking to this effect on Sept 12, a day after 10 people were injured in a massive protest in Shimla demanding demolition of the illegal portions of the Sanjauli mosque.
AHMO’s counsel, Vishav Bhushan, said they were yet to receive the copy of the order passed by additional district and sessions judge Praveen Garg.
AHMO spokesperson Nazakat Ali Hashmi had said in his appeal against the municipal commissioner’s order that the persons who gave the undertaking had no authority to do so.
The issue had also reached the HP high court, which, while hearing a writ petition filed by the residents of Sanjauli, directed the Shimla municipal commissioner on Oct 21 to decide the case within eight weeks.
Following the MC order, the mosque committee had even started razing the alleged illegal portions on Oct 21, but later stopped the work citing shortage of labourers as a reason. The MC court had on Nov 16 sought a reply from the mosque committee and the waqf board on the status of demolition.
The Sanjauli mosque dispute dates back to 2010, when a notice was served by the municipal body for razing the then single-storey mosque. However, four additional floors have been added to the structure since then.