Lucknow Civil Court To Hear Petition Demanding Hindu Puja At Lakshman Teela, Dismisses Sunni Waqf Board's Objections

A Civil Judge of the Junior Division in Lucknow has dismissed the objections raised by the Sunni Waqf Board against the demand for Hindu worship at the Lakshman Teela.

Nripendra Pandey and others had filed a petition seeking permission to do Hindu puja at the Lakshman Teela. He has argued that the mosque on Teela was made after the demolition of Lakshman temple there.

Responding to this, the Sunni Waqf Board claimed that the property has been registered in the Waqf Board documents since 21 January 1975.

It had further argued that the property comes under the jurisdiction of the Waqf Tribunal and the plea is not maintainable in a civil court, Jagran reported.

However, Civil Judge Abhishek Gupta dismissed these arguments by citing the Supreme Court's judgment that says that such disputes come under the jurisdiction of civil courts.

The Union of India, the Uttar Pradesh government, Imam and Mutawalli of the Teele wali Masjid are among the seven parties made in the case and the next hearing is on 11 July.

The Teele wali Masjid is named after Pir Mohammed. The plea argues that it was constructed by Mughal ruler Aurangzeb. A temple named Shesh Nagesh Teeleshwar Mahadev is near it.

The name of the city Lucknow is known to have been derived from Lakshman Teela. Its origin is traced back to the Ramayana era where Lord Ram's brother Lakshman is believed to have stayed here.