The Supreme Court on Monday extended stay on Allahabad High Court order for appointing commissioner to inspect the premises of the Shahi Eidgah Mosque in connection with Mathura’s Sri Krishna Janmabhoomi-Shahi Idgah Masjid dispute till April 2024.
The bench headed by Justice Sanjiv Khanna extended the interim stay on appointment of court commissioner to inspect the premises of the mosque till next date of hearing while adjourning the case.
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The court was hearing a batch of petitions challenging the decision of the Allahabad High Court to transfer all pending suits related to the Krishna Janambhoomi-Shahi Idgah dispute from the lower court on Mathura to itself.
In May 2023, the Allahabad High Court had transferred all the suits pertaining to the Sri Krishna Janmabhoomi-Shahi Idgah Masjid dispute to itself.
On January 16, the top court stayed execution of Allahabad High Court order on Shahi Idgah survey In the Krishna Janmabhoomi case, and issued notice while allowing the proceedings before the Allahabad High Court to continue.
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Several separate petitions were filed in lower courts in Mathura. The petitions sought removal of the Shahi Idgah Masjid from the 13.37-acre complex, which it shares with the Katra Keshav Dev temple.
The petitioners have claimed that the Shahi Idgah mosque adjoining the Krishna Janmabhoomi temple in Mathura holds signs that suggest that it was a Hindu temple once.
Some petitioners have claimed that the mosque was built on temple land during the reign of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb. They claimed that the mosque was built in 1669-70 in the 13.37-acre premises of Katra Keshav Dev temple, near the birthplace of Lord Krishna.
The petitioners from muslim side moved the apex court challenging the Allahabad High Court move and argued that the high court transferred all suits to itself, even though no transfer applications were filed for all those petitions.