Plea filed in Mathura for removal of another mosque

Mathura, Sep 15

A petition has been filed at a Mathura court seeking removal of yet another mosque, the Meena Masjid, belonging to the Mughal era.

The petitioner has claimed that the mosque was built on a part of the Thakur Keshav Dev Ji temple, on the east side of the Sri Krishna Janmabhoomi complex.

The suit has been filed by Dinesh Sharma, national treasurer of Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha (ABHM), as a devotee of Lord Krishna and as his 'Vaad Mitra' (friend of the suit).

The suit has been registered in the court of civil judge (senior division) Mathura, Jyoti Singh.

Several petitions have already been filed in various Mathura courts, seeking the shifting of another important mosque, the Shahi Masjid Idgah, from the complex, with petitioners maintaining that it has been built at the 'birthplace of Lord Krishna' within the core 13.37-acre premises of the temple.

In the fresh petition, Sharma, claimed to be a devout follower of Thakur Keshav Dev Ji Maharaj (another name of Lord Krishna), who is 'petitioner number 1' in the case.

Sharma had earlier filed a case seeking removal of the Shahi Masjid Idgah adjacent to Sri Krishna Janmabhoomi.

"The basic purpose of the suit is to protect the property of Thakur Keshav Dev Ji Maharaj who owns land measuring 13.37 acre in Mathura city on which Sri Krishna Janmabhoomi is located. We have now sought removal of the construction raised in the name of Meena Masjid near Vrindavan railway line at Deeg gate on land owned by the deity."

The respondents of the new suit are president/chairman Uttar Pradesh Sunni Central Waqf Board, Lucknow, and secretary, Intezamia Committee, Meena Masjid (Deeg Gate), Mathura.

The court has fixed October 26 for hearing the case, said Deepak Sharma, the petitioner's counsel.

In almost a dozen cases in Mathura, petitioners appearing on behalf of Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi have challenged the settlement dated October 12, 1968 between Shri Krishna Janmasthan Seva Sangh and Shahi Masjid Idgah, which was part of suit number 43 of 1967.

The petitioners claim it has no legal validity because the Sri Krishna Janmabhoomi Trust, having ownership and title, was not party to the settlement.

The petitioners have also claimed that the mosque was built on the same spot where a temple was razed by Mughal emperor Aurangzeb.

The management committee of Shahi Masjid Idgah has objected to these petitions, saying that a compromise was made in 1968.

Hence, the petition, as such, is time barred.