Amid the debate over the Gyanvapi Mosque-Kashi Vishwanath Temple dispute, another dispute is bubbling over in Uttar Pradesh. Over eight-decades-old, the Krishna Janmabhoomi dispute in Mathura involves ownership of 13.37 acres of land. On Thursday, a Mathura court allowed the lawsuit demanding removal of the Shahi Idgah mosque near Krishna Janmabhoomi or the birthplace of Lord Krishna, essentially paving way for hearings to take place in court against the mosque.
The judgment relates to the first suit in the case, which was filed by Lucknow resident and advocate Ranjana Agnihotri as the “next friend” of child deity Shri Krishna Virajman of the Katra Keshav Dev temple and six others.
In one of the multiple pleas filed before the court, the petitioners had requested the court to demolish the Idgah built on the trust’s land declaring it illegal, and hand over the entire land to the de-facto owner, Lord Shri Krishna Virajman.
News18 decodes the dispute, its timeline and what next:
What is the dispute about?
According to the petitioners, the 13.37 acres of land belong to the deity Lord Krishna Virajman. Several reports say the mosque was reportedly built on the orders of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb in 1669-70.
The petitioners have also sought excavation of the disputed site under the supervision of the court, saying that an inquiry report of the excavation should be submitted.
On May 12, the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court ordered the Mathura court to dispose of all the cases related to the Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi-Shahi Idgah Masjid dispute within four months.
Who are the petitioners?
In 2021, advocate Ranjana Agnihotri along with six others had first filed a claim in the case in the court of a civil judge. Agnihotri, a resident of Lucknow filed the lawsuit, as the “next friend of the infant Lord Krishna” of the Katra Keshav Dev temple.
However, the civil judge dismissed the plea, holding that it was not maintainable since none of the petitioners was from Mathura who could have a valid stake in the issue. Various organisations including the Akhil Bharatiya Tirth Purohit Mahasabha, Mathur Chaturvedi Parishad and Hindu Mahasabha wanted to become a party in the case filed for the removal of Shahi Idgah Mosque.
Since 2020, at least a dozen cases have been filed in the courts of Mathura on the Sri Krishna Janmabhoomi issue.
What is the 1968 agreement between Hindus and Muslims?
Yet another contention is the 1968 settlement between the Sri Krishna Janmasthan Seva Sangh, the temple management authority, and Shahi Idgah Masjid Trust as part of which the temple authority had conceded the portion of land to the Idgah.
The petitioners have alleged that the settlement had no legal validity because the Sri Krishna Janmabhoomi Trust, having ownership and title of the place, was not party to it. Thus, the court should order transfer of the land on which the mosque was built to the deity, the petitioners have said.
What next?
Apart from looking into the revenue records, the court will have to also decide the validity of the 1968 agreement.
Read all the Latest India News here
Comments
0 comment