Mathura court dismisses suit for removal of Shahi Idgah Masjid
The suit was heard by Additional District Judge, Chhaya Sharma who refused to admit the suit citing the bar under the Place of Worship (Special Provisions) Act of 1991.
A Mathura court on Wednesday dismissed a suit filed on behalf of child deity, Bhagwan Shri Krishna Virajman seeking removal of the Shahi Idgah Masjid which stands adjacent to the Sri Krishna temple complex at Mathura.
The suit was heard by Additional District Judge, Chhaya Sharma who refused to admit the suit citing the bar under the Place of Worship (Special Provisions) Act of 1991.
This law was passed at the height of the Ram Janmabhoomi dispute and seeks to protect all religious structures as they existed at the time of Independence on August 15, 1947 with the exception of the disputed site at Ayodhya.
Since Ayodhya land was exempted, the Supreme Court had invoked this law in 2019 while awarding the disputed site at Ayodhya to child deity Ram Lalla while reaffirming that similar such cases cannot be entertained with respect to other sites in view of the law.
The suit claiming ownership of the entire land of 13.37 acres land which is believed to be the birthplace of Lord Sri Krishna, the 8th incarnation of Lord Vishnu, was filed on September 25 through next friend of the child deity, one Ranjana Agnihotri an advocate and a resident of Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh. Six other devotees were also plaintiffs to the suit.
They had sought cancellation of a settlement entered into between the Shri Krishna Janamsthan Seva Sansthan which is the governing body of the temple complex and the Committee of Management of Trust of Shahi Idgah (Idgah Trust) in 1968.
The suit stated that Lord Shri Krishna was born in a prison of King Kans and the entire area under dispute is known as ‘Katra Keshav Dev’. Katra Keshav Dev is sacred for the devotees of Lord Shri Krishna and Hindu community. Hindu rulers have always paid homage to the birth place of Lord Shree Krishna and from time to time they constructed / renovated temple at the spot, the plaint said.
It was submitted that the Idgah Trust with the help of some Muslims encroached upon the land belonging to Shri Krishna Janamasthan Trust and the deity and erected a super structure at the place.
The birthplace of Lord Krishna, the 8th incarnation of Lord Vishnu lies beneath the structure raised by the trust, the suit added.
It was claimed that Shri Krishna Janamsthan Seva Sansthan which is the governing body of the temple complex entered into an illegal compromise with the Idgah Trust in 1968 with a view to grab the property in question.
“The Shri Krishna Janmasthan Seva Sansthan is working against the interest of the deity and devotees and fraudulently entered into a compromise with the Committee of Management of Trust Masjid Idgah (Trust) in 1968 conceding a considerable portion of property belonging to the deity and the trust,” the suit had argued.
