SC asks registrar of Allahabad HC to give details of suits relating to Mathura’s Krishna Janambhoomi land dispute

New Delhi [India]: The Supreme Court on Friday asked the registrar of Allahabad High Court to give details of the suits which are being dealt with in the court relating to Mathura’s Krishna Janambhoomi land dispute.

A bench of Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Sudhanshu Dhulia listed the matter after three weeks. The top court was hearing the Committee of Management Trust Shahi Masjid Idgah appeal challenging Allahabad High Court order, which transferred to itself all the petitions relating to Mathura’s Krishna Janambhoomi land dispute from the District Court in Mathura, Uttar Pradesh.

During the hearing, the top court noted that multiple suits had been filed in the matter.

Committee of Management Trust Shahi Masjid Idgah moved the Supreme Court challenging Allahabad High Court order, which transferred to itself all the petitions relating to Mathura’s Krishna Janambhoomi land dispute from Mathura district court.

The plea was moved by the Committee of Management Trust Shahi Masjid Idgah through advocate RHA Sikander.

Committee of Management Trust Shahi Masjid Idgah challenged the order dated May 26 passed by the Allahabad High Court whereby it transferred all such cases relating to the Krishna Janambhoomi dispute from the District Court Mathura, Uttar Pradesh, to itself.

The Transfer Application was allowed by the high court despite the fact that the proceedings in the Suit from which the Transfer Application emanated, were stayed by a Coordinate Bench of the High Court of Judicature at Allahabad vide Order dated August 3, 2022.

The impugned Judgment takes away two appellate stages and also transfers other suits to the High Court of Judicature at Allahabad for which no transfer applications were filed.

“The impugned Judgment is passed on a mere ipse dixit by indulging in the prophecy of the Respondents No. 1 to 8 that ‘in case the trial court itself decides the suit, it will take a long time without even considering that the Suit was registered only on May 26, 2022, and the proceedings therein were subsequently stayed by a Coordinate Bench of the High Court of Judicature at Allahabad vide Order dated August 3, 2022, which remained in force till May 1, 2023,” read the petition.

So far, nine cases have been filed in Mathura court in the case of Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi and Shahi Idgah Masjid.

Ranjana Agnihotri, a resident of Lucknow, had filed a suit demanding the ownership of 13.37 acres of land of Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi.

In her legal suit, Agnihotri demanded removal of the Shahi Idgah mosque built in Krishna Janmabhoomi.

The suit filed in the Mathura court sought the removal of a mosque said to have been built in 1669-70 on the orders of the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb in the 13.37-acre premises of Katra Keshav Dev temple, near the birthplace of Lord Krishna.