Old photo used for indicative purpose only
Shimla, Dec 4,
The Himachal Pradesh High Court on Wednesday sought a detailed clarification from the Shimla Municipal Corporation (SMC) on the legality of various portions of the Sanjauli mosque structure, after the Himachal Pradesh Wakf Board moved the Court seeking protection from demolition.
The Wakf Board approached the single bench of Justice Ajay Mohan Goel for the second time this week, refiling its petition after withdrawing an earlier one on December 1. The Board urged the Court to halt demolition proceedings ordered by the trial court, arguing that the appeal against that order is still pending and the structure itself is decades old.
Appearing for the Board, counsel contended that the mosque’s core structure stands on valid municipal permission, and that any additional work carried out at the site was done with the knowledge and clearance of the civic body. The petitioner argued that immediate demolition would cause irreparable harm before the appellate process is completed.
SMC, however, strongly contested this position. Its counsel, Mukula Modgil, informed the Court that while the Corporation had indeed sanctioned construction of the ground and first floors, every additional storey above these levels was erected without permission. The civic body maintained that the unauthorised vertical expansion constitutes a clear violation of municipal laws, warranting the lower court’s demolition directive.
The bench pressed the Corporation to state unambiguously which parts of the building were legal and which were not. Reiterating its stance, SMC confirmed that only the first two levels have formal approval on record, while the upper floors are illegal additions.
After considering the submissions, the High Court issued notices to SMC and other respondents, seeking their response before the matter is taken up for detailed hearing in March 2026. In the interim, the Court ordered both sides to maintain complete status quo on the ground and first floors. It further restrained any construction, utilisation, or modification on the disputed upper floors until the next date of hearing.
With the Court’s interim order now in place, the long-running dispute over the Sanjauli mosque’s structural legality will undergo a fuller judicial examination early next year.
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The HimachalScape Bureau comprises seasoned journalists from Himachal Pradesh with over 25 years of experience in leading media conglomerates such as The Times of India and United News of India. Known for their in-depth regional insights, the team brings credible, research-driven, and balanced reportage on Himachal’s socio-political and developmental landscape.
