Supreme Court Extends Status Quo In Sambhal Mosque Case After Muslim Side's Appeal

The Supreme Court on Monday (1 September) extended its order maintaining status quo in the dispute surrounding the Shahi Jama Masjid in Uttar Pradesh’s Sambhal by two weeks.

A bench of Justices P S Narasimha and Alok Radhe was hearing two appeals filed by the mosque’s management committee. The Court directed its registry to enquire into the matter and submit a report, PTI reported.

Advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain, appearing for the Hindu plaintiffs, opposed the extension, while senior advocate Huzeifa Ahmadi, for the mosque committee, sought continuation of interim relief until the registry’s findings were placed on record.

The appeals challenge an Allahabad High Court order that upheld a civil court’s decision to commission a survey of the Mughal-era mosque amid claims of overlapping religious structures.

The mosque committee has also questioned a second survey conducted on 24 November last year, which it contends was never authorised.

That same day, the disputed survey sparked violent clashes near the mosque, claiming four lives and injuring several others.

In response, the State set up a three member judicial commission led by retired Allahabad High Court judge Devendra Kumar Arora, former IPS officer Arvind Kumar Jain and ex-IAS officer Amit Mohan Prasad.

On 28 August, the panel submitted its 450 page report to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. The report highlighted a sharp demographic shift in Sambhal, noting that the Hindu population has dwindled to around 15–20 per cent, less than half of earlier levels.

It reportedly details how the violence was not spontaneous but involved a planned attempt to target Hindus, with the involvement of radical groups and outside rioters.

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