Sambhal mosque does not need maintenance before Ramzan, ASI tells Allahabad HC

The Archaeological Survey of India on Friday told the Allahabad High Court that the Shahi Jama Masjid in Uttar Pradesh’s Sambhal is in good condition and does not need whitewashing before the commencement of the Islamic holy month of Ramzan, reported Live Law.

This came a day after the Allahabad High Court told the Archaeological Survey of India to assess if the structure required maintenance. In its eight-page order, the court had used the word “alleged” five times to describe the mosque.

The archaeological survey report was submitted on Friday, which the mosque management committee objected to. According to the committee, the report was “incorrect” and the mosque needed whitewashing, reported Bar and Bench.

A bench of Justice Rohit Ranjan Agarwal allowed the committee until March 4 to submit its response to the report.

The structure has been at the centre of a controversy since November 26, when violence broke out in Sambhal after Muslim groups objected to a court-ordered survey of the Shahi Jama Masjid.

A trial court had ordered the survey as part of a lawsuit claiming that the mosque had been built in 1526 by Mughal ruler Babur on the site of a “centuries-old Shri Hari Har Temple dedicated to Lord Kalki”.

Five persons were killed in the clashes.

A total of 79 people have been apprehended so far in connection with the riots, with 46 of…

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