Court to hear on Oct 25 matter related to Neelkanth Mahadev temple-Shahi Masjid dispute

Budaun (UP), Aug 30 (PTI) A court here has deferred to October 25 its hearing on the matter of whether a subordinate court has the jurisdiction to hear the Neelkanth Mahadev temple and Shamsi Jama Masjid case.

The civil judge (Senior Division) / Fast Track Court (FTC) scheduled the new date after reviewing the case file.

The case was transferred to the court of Judge Pushpendra Choudhary after the previous judge, Suman Tiwari, went on maternity leave. Judge Choudhary is now tasked with deciding whether the case is admissible in a lower court.

According to the lawyers for Hindu side, the repeated changes in the court handling the case are causing significant delays in the proceedings.

The dispute began in 2022 when Mukesh Patel, the then convener of Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha, claimed that the Neelkanth Mahadev temple existed at the Jama Masjid Shamsi mosque site and sought permission to worship at the structure.

The Shamsi Jama Masjid Management Committee's lawyer, Anwar Alam, argued that a Supreme Court order prohibits lower courts from hearing such disputes, and therefore, the case should be dismissed.

On the other hand, theHindu side' legal team, led by advocates Ved Prakash Sahu and Vivek Kumar Render, has maintained that the Supreme Court's orders do not apply to ongoing or pre-existing cases and that the case should be heard on its merits. PTI COR CDN RT RT