CHANDIGARH: The court of the Commissioner of the Shimla Municipal Corporation has ordered the demolition of three unauthorized floors of the mosque in the Sanjauli area of Shimla.
Hearing on Sanjauli Mosque dispute in Shimla MC Court, ordered the demolition of three floors of the mosque within two months time, the next date of hearing on December 21. The municipal commissioner’s court said the demolition will be done at the cost of Waqf Board.
The lawyer representing Waqf Board in this case, BS Thakur, said, "The court has passed orders that the Masjid committee and Waqf Board should demolish the top three floors of the mosque at their own cost. The time limit of two months has been given for the demolition. In due course, the fate of the remaining portion of the building will be decided. The next date of hearing is December 21. The mosque committee has given the undertaking to demolish the top three floors.’’
The mosque was initially a single-story building but has reportedly been expanded to five stories without proper permissions as the Waqf Board claims ownership of the land. The locals have contested the Waqf Board's ownership, arguing that the land belongs to the state revenue department and asserting that the mosque's expansion has caused various difficulties for them.
The Muslim Welfare Committee in a representation had offered to demolish the unauthorised storeys themselves. Last month the right wing Hindu organization led a massive protest in Shimla calling for the mosque's demolition, framing it as an illegal construction issue rather than a communal one. Raising slogans of “Jai Shri Ram” and “Hindu Ekta Zindabad”, hundreds of protesters gathered at the Sabzi Mandi at Dhall and marched towards the mosque breaking the police barricades and were lathi charged.
Around ten pople were injured in the clash with the police. Two days later, similar protests erupted in Mandi and water cannons had to be used to disperse protesters.