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Malali mosque case: Karnataka high court, Mangaluru court adjourn hearings
On June 15, the Karnataka high court directed a court in the coastal city of Mangaluru not to pronounce its verdict on the maintainability of a suit that seeks to survey of Assayed Abdullahi Madani mosque at Malali, Thenka Ulipady village near Mangaluru.
The Karnataka high court and a local court on Friday adjourned hearing cases related to discovery of a “temple-like architecture” at mosque in Malali, Mangaluru. Both the courts set Wednesday as the next date of hearing, according to lawyers of both the parties.
On June 15, the high court directed a court in the coastal city of Mangaluru not to pronounce its verdict on the maintainability of a suit that seeks to survey of Assayed Abdullahi Madani mosque at Malali, Thenka Ulipady village near Mangaluru.
The 3rd additional civil court in Mangaluru is hearing a suit by TA Dhananjaya and BA Manoj Kumar claiming that a “temple-like architecture” was discovered during the renovation of the mosque.
On Friday, lawyers representing the Hindu organisation sought time to submit some documents pertaining to the plea, to which the HC agreed and adjourned hearing. The HC was to hear arguments on whether the court had judication in the matter, which was challenged by the Muslim side and the demand from the Hindu organisations of a survey of the mosque.
Senior advocate Vivek Reddy, appearing for Dhananjaya and Kumar, had argued that there should be a survey by a court-appointed commissioner and a report based on it, but the lower court should not be allowed to decide on the maintainability of such a case. If the suit in the lower court is dismissed on maintainability, there were chances of the structures inside the mosque being removed or destroyed, he argued.
A single judge HC bench of justice Sachin Shankar Magadum issued notice to mosque authorities and directed the lower court not to pronounce its verdict on the maintainability of the suit and adjourned the hearing to June 17.
The local in Mangaluru also adjourned a case related to the mosque to Wednesday.
The lower court had directed mosque authorities not to remove the contested structures.
On 31 May, a counsel for the mosque had made a submission before the third additional civil court to quash the VHP petition under provisions of the Places of Worship Act, 1991. The VHP, in a plea before the court, has sought a court-appointed commission to study the “temple-like structure”.
The case was filed following a controversy that erupted after a “temple-like structure” was noticed during demolition as part of the renovation of the mosque last month.
