PRAYAGRAJ: The Allahabad High Court has asked the Uttar Pradesh government to file an affidavit stating whether it can seal a place of worship without any notice or without affording any opportunity of hearing to the property owners.
A two-judge bench comprising Justice Atul Sreedharan and Justice Siddharth Nandan asked for the government's response on a writ petition filed by Ahsan Ali who had moved the court against the sealing of a mosque in Muzaffarnagar.
"Whether there existed any authority under law to seal a place of worship under construction without issuance of prior notice or affording an opportunity of hearing to the petitioner," the court asked in its order passed on March 18.
In addition to it, the court also asked whether any prior permission from the state is required when it comes to plot owners making constructions, etc.. within the premises of the place of worship.
Before the high court, Ahsan Ali submitted that he is a lawful owner of a plot of land.
He had purchased the land from one Praveen Kumar Jain in 2019 by way of a duly registered sale deed.
Authorities recently sealed the mosque constructed on the land after the owners had started raising a boundary around it.
The action was taken on the ground that the construction is illegal and that no prior permission was obtained from the competent authority.
During the court proceedings, the petitioner's counsel said that no notice or opportunity of hearing was afforded to him prior to sealing of the premises.
The court then asked the state to respond to the petition and apprise it about the law under which the action was taken.