Court orders demolition of 3 unauthorised storeys of disputed mosque in Shimla
Shimla: People raise slogans during a protest against the alleged illegal construction of a mosque.
Shimla: A Shimla court on Saturday ordered the demolition of three ‘unauthorised’ floors of the disputed mosque, located at Sanjauli—a sub-urban locality in Shimla, state’s capital. The case was listed before the court of Shimla’s municipal Commissioner Bhupendra Attri, who announced his decision later in the day. The legal battle over the five-storey mosque building has been going on for the past 14 years but flared-up in August 2024 triggered wide-spread protests in the town, primarily led by Hindu organisations seeking demolition of the building since it has been illegal. The mosque, as per legal augments existed at the site even before 1947 but the five-storey concrete structure camp-up only recently .Despite several notices served by the Municipal Commissioner, the case kept prolonging. However, after the tensions over the mosque got heightened and the police also resorted to lathi charge and used water cannons against the protesting mob last month, the Muslim stakeholders offered to demolish the “illegal” floors and sought permission from the Municipal Corporation.
The Muslim representative also suggested to the Commissioner to seal part of the building. After the Commissioner passed the orders, B S Thakur, counsel for the Waqf Board confirmed to the media that the court has mandated the mosque committee to dismantle the top three floors at their own expense within a two-month timeframe. Thakur said, “In due course, it will be decided about the rest of the portion of the building.” The court has fixed the next date of hearing on December 21.” Earlier in the day ,Himachal Pradesh Waqf Board submitted in a Shimla court that the mosque in Sanjauli Colony belongs on its land, but it has no idea who constructed the additional four floors”. The incident was also highlighted by the state assembly by Himachal Pradesh’s Minister of Rural Development Anirudh Singh, who alleged that tension was rising in some areas due to rapid construction by illegal migrants who could be Rohingya and people from Bangladesh.
