Sanjauli Mosque
National News: The dispute over the mosque located in the Sanjauli region of Shimla, the capital of Himachal Pradesh, has now reached a decisive turn. The Shimla Municipal Corporation Commissioner's court has declared all the five floors of the mosque illegal and issued an order to demolish them. This decision has been taken by the Waqf Board and the Masjid Committee due to failure to submit a document related to the ownership of the land and the map of the building.
The Sanjauli Mosque was built in 1907 as a storey structure. However, since 2007, four additional floors were added without required permissions, making it a five -storey building. Local residents and Hindu organizations are against the legal expansion which lead to dispute.
Shimla Municipal Corporation Commissioner Bhupendra Kumar Atri has ordered all the floors of the mosque to be demolished and demolished. Earlier, in October 2024, the court ordered the top three floors to be demolished. However, due to non -submission of necessary documents by the Waqf Board and Masjid Committee, now the remaining two floors have also been ordered to be demolished.
The lawyer of the Waqf Board claimed that the mosque existed before 1947 and was later rebuilt. However, the court asked why the necessary permission was not taken from the Municipal Corporation for reconstruction if this is the case. The Waqf Board and the Masjid Committee could neither submit documents related to the ownership of the land nor the building map, allowing the court to consider construction as illegal.
The Sanjauli Masjid dispute took a new turn after the incident of assault with a local person in Maliyana area of Shimla in August 2024. After this incident, reports of taking shelter in the mosque created resentment among the local residents, causing extensive protests. In September 2024, there were clashes between police and protesters during the protests, injuring several people.
The Himachal Pradesh High Court has ordered the Municipal Corporation to settle the case by 8 May 2025. If this does not happen, the court has warned of contempt action. Therefore, a daily hearing of the case is planned from 5 May.
The Sanjauli Mosque dispute has become an important matter related to illegal construction and regulation of religious places in Shimla. According to the court order, all five floors of the mosque will be demolished. This decision is an important message for the local administration, Waqf Board and the Masjid Committee that the construction of without required permissions will not be tolerated.
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