Supreme Court Overrules Allahabad HC: Puts Hold On Survey Of Shahi Idgah Mosque Of Mathura

The Supreme Court postponed a High Court ruling today, putting the survey of a 17th-century Mathura mosque—which is said to have been constructed at the birthplace of Lord Krishna in Uttar Pradesh—on hold for the time being. A commissioner was chosen by the Allahabad High Court last month to conduct a study at the Shahi Idgah mosque in Mathura. The survey will be modeled after one that was conducted at the Gyanvapi mosque in Varanasi.

Supreme Court calls the decision on Mathura mosque “vague”

The Supreme Court halted the order, stating that the commissioner’s appointment had a “vague” aim. “The prayer (for commissioner), it is so vague. It has to be specific. This is wrong, you have to be very clear what you want him for. You can’t leave everything to the court to look into,” said a bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta.

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Shahi Idgah-Krishna Janmabhoomi controversy

In numerous court lawsuits concerning the Shahi Idgah-Krishna Janmabhoomi controversy, Hindu petitioners are requesting the land upon which the mosque is constructed. The Shahi Idgah mosque, according to Hindu organizations, was constructed on the remains of a temple dedicated to the location of Lord Krishna’s birth, or “Krishna Janmabhoomi”.

The Uttar Pradesh Sunni Wakf Board and the Idgah committee had contested the local court’s December admission of the Hindu petitioners’ application for a survey in the High Court. The Hindu petitioners have sought complete ownership of the disputed 13.37 acres of land, arguing that the older Katra Keshav Dev temple was demolished to make way for the centuries-old mosque. They claimed that Aurangzeb, the Mughal emperor, had ordered this.

The lotus decorations on the mosque and forms purportedly resembling the serpent demigod, or “sheshnag,” in Hindu mythology are cited by the petitioners as proof. They contend that these demonstrate that the mosque was erected above a temple.