Sambhal Mosque Petition
Filed On November 19, 2023, by Hari Shanker Jain and others.
Claim: The Jama Masjid in Sambhal was allegedly built over an ancient Hari Har Mandir, similar to claims made in Gyanvapi (Varanasi), Eidgah (Mathura), and Kamal-Maula Masjid (Dhar).
Jain's Involvement: Also petitioner in the Varanasi, Mathura, and Dhar cases.
Status: The Sambhal mosque is a protected national monument.
Survey Process
Initial Survey (Nov 19): Ordered by a civil judge for a photographic and videographic survey, to be presented by Nov 29.
Second Survey (Nov 24): Led to violence. A local priest and petitioners accompanied the survey, chanting slogans, leading to stone pelting and police firing.
Violence Outcome: Five dead, including two teenagers. Police claim lathi-charge, but locals allege unarmed civilians were killed and homes ransacked.
Mosque’s History
Built in 1528: During the reign of Mughal Emperor Babur, attributed to General Mir Hindu Beg.
Hindu Belief: The mosque incorporates parts of an ancient Vishnu temple.
Local Tradition: Belief that Kalki (the 10th avatar of Vishnu) will descend in Sambhal.
Places of Worship Act (1991)
The Act maintains the religious character of all places of worship as it existed on August 15, 1947.
Exception: The Babri Masjid-Ramjanambhoomi dispute.
Section 3: Bars conversion of a place of worship from one religion to another.
Challenges to the Act
Sambhal Petition seeks to change the mosque’s religious character, challenging the 1991 Act.
Justice D.Y. Chandrachud's 2022 comment suggested ascertaining religious character might not violate the Act.
Four petitions in the Supreme Court challenge the Places of Worship Act, including those for Varanasi, Mathura, Dhar, and Sambhal.
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