Krishna Janmbhoomi-Shahi Idgah Case: Mathura court orders official survey of Shahi Idgah complex, next hearing on January 20

New Delhi: Mathura court has ordered an official survey of the Shahi Idgah complex in Mathura in the Krishna Janmbhoomi-Shahi Idgah case. The survey will be conducted by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) on January 2. The next date of hearing in the case is January 20, when ASI will submit a report in the Mathura court.

The case has been a national issue since several Hindu outfits are demanding the removal of the mosque from the Katra Keshav Dev Temple complex, which is claimed to be the birthplace of Lord Krishna. Vishnu Gupta of the Hindu Sena filed the lawsuit in the court, under which the court gave the orders.

The civil court in Mathura earlier dismissed the case citing that it cannot be admitted under the Places of Worship Act of 1991. Petitioners appealed against the order and in February 2021, a civil suit titled ‘Bhagwan Sri Krishna Virajman and Others Vs UP Sunni Central Waqf Board and Others’ was filed before the Mathura court.

An exception to the Places of Worship Act of 1991 was the Ayodhya temple-Babri mosque, where the Hindu activists demolished the mosque. In 2019, the Supreme Court approved of the Ram temple construction at the site and ordered alternative land for a mosque.

Giving rise to the controversy of the Shahi Idgah case, the Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha, earlier this month, called for reciting Hanuman Chalisa inside the mosque to mark the anniversary of the Babri Mosque demolition. Police arrested one and detained seven members of Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha.