Shimla, May 26:
In a significant development, the Sessions Court in Shimla has stayed the demolition order issued against the Sanjauli Mosque, offering interim relief to the Himachal Pradesh Waqf Board. The court permitted the Board’s appeal, effectively pausing the Municipal Commissioner’s May 3 directive to raze the mosque structure.
The order restrains the Shimla Municipal Corporation from acting upon the Commissioner’s earlier verdict, which had declared the mosque — from its base to the fourth floor — as illegally constructed. The court also dismissed a caveat filed by the Devbhoomi Sangharsh Samiti, questioning its right to intervene in the matter.
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The demolition directive stemmed from Sections 258(1) and 258 read with 242 of the Himachal Pradesh Municipal Corporation Act, 1994, following a longstanding dispute regarding alleged unauthorized expansion. The controversy began in 2010 when the Municipal Corporation received a complaint over the mosque being reconstructed beyond its sanctioned limits.
Over 16 years, more than 50 hearings were held. Ultimately, Municipal Commissioner Bhupendra Atri concluded that the mosque structure violated municipal construction norms. Authorities maintained that despite repeated notices, the Waqf Board and the mosque committee failed to present land ownership records or sanctioned building plans. Moreover, a No Objection Certificate issued by the Waqf Board in 2012 had stipulated that approval from the Municipal Corporation was compulsory before undertaking any reconstruction — a condition the civic body claims was ignored.
Tensions surrounding the mosque flared after a communal incident in Mehli on August 31, 2024, during which some individuals reportedly took refuge inside the Sanjauli Mosque. This was followed by protests and unrest in Sanjauli on September 11, prompting renewed public demand for action against unauthorized religious constructions.
Though the mosque committee had on September 12 offered to remove unauthorized portions voluntarily, the legal process continued. The Waqf Board formally joined the case in 2023 to clarify its position.
With the Sessions Court’s intervention today, the demolition stands suspended until a final verdict on the appeal is delivered. The matter is slated for its next hearing on May 26.
