Supreme Court halts demolition of Madni mosque; authorities face contempt notice

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court has blocked the further demolition of the Madni Masjid in Uttar Pradesh's Kushinagar. The court considered the argument of petitioner Azmatunnisa that the mosque was built in 1999 on land in the name of a private person, including by obtaining permission from the municipality.

On February 9, the authorities demolished part of the mosque. The demolition was based on a complaint filed by local leader Ram Bachchan Singh, alleging that the mosque was built on government land.

The Supreme Court had issued specific criteria for the demolition of structures on November 13. The petitioner pointed out that the verdict related to bulldozer justice was violated in the case of the Kushinagar mosque. Subsequently, the court directed officials, including those of the Uttar Pradesh Revenue Department, to show cause so as not to resort to contempt of court proceedings. A bench of Justices B.R. Gavai and Augustine George Masih also ordered that a notice be sent. The status quo should be maintained until further orders. It will be considered again after two weeks.

Arbitrary demolition

The petitioner stated that they were not ready to be heard before the demolition. The guidelines laid down in the Supreme Court verdict were thrown into the wind. It was also pointed out that the demolition process was in a hurry. The sub-divisional magistrate had inspected the site and reported that it was not encroached. It was also demanded that compensation be granted. The Supreme Court had warned that if the guidelines, such as giving 15 days' prior notice and holding a personal hearing, were not followed, the officials would have to pay compensation from their own hands.