The Uttar Pradesh government has accused the authorities of the Shahi Jama Masjid in Sambhal of attempting to encroach upon public land. In a status report filed in the Supreme Court, the government claimed that the mosque committee submitted misleading photographs to the court regarding a disputed well near the 16th-century mosque, which has been at the center of a legal battle.
The mosque is facing claims from Hindu petitioners who allege it was built over a Hindu temple. The government argued that both the mosque and the well are on public land, asserting that the mosque authorities are trying to establish private rights over them.
“It is submitted that the well is a public well and is not situated anywhere inside the mosque (or the) disputed religious site…there is no access to the subject well from inside the mosque…(it) has no connection with the disputed site,” the government said in its report, adding that the well has historically been used by all communities.
The mosque committee had previously presented a Google Maps image suggesting the well was within the mosque premises. However, the government dismissed this claim, calling it “misconceived” and stating that the well is part of a broader effort to revive 19 wells in Sambhal for rainwater harvesting and to promote cultural tourism.
Last month, the Supreme Court ordered status quo on the matter, staying a local administration notice that allowed Hindu worship at the well. While the court permitted public use of the well, it prohibited any religious rituals.
The mosque committee has also requested permission to decorate the mosque ahead of Ramzan. However, District Magistrate Rajender Pensiya has stated that no such work can be undertaken without prior approval from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).
The dispute over the Shahi Jama Masjid intensified following violence last year, when a local court ordered a survey based on claims that a Hindu temple once stood at the mosque’s location. The order led to clashes between protesters and police, resulting in multiple casualties.
