The Allahabad High Court on Wednesday stayed further proceedings before a civil court hearing the dispute over Jama Masjid in UP's Sambhal.   Justice Rohit Ranjan Agarwal passed the direction on a revision plea filed by the mosque's management committee.

The plea was filed after a Supreme Court order related to the matter and challenges the proceedings aside from the maintainability of the suit filed over the dispute in the Sambhal district court. The plea alleged the suit was filed on the afternoon of November 19, 2024, and within hours, the judge appointed a court commissioner, and directed him to carry out an initial survey at the mosque site.

The survey, it said, was carried out the same day, and again on November 24. The court, the plea said, directed for the survey report to be filed by November 29. After hearing counsel for parties, the high court ordered the respondents to file their reply within four weeks and posted the matter on February 25. The suit before the Sambhal district court was filed by Hari Shanker. The court fixed February 25 for further hearing of the matter.

The order of the court came within days of submission of the survey report in the district court by a court commissioner. The commissioner had conducted a survey in the masjid in November at Sambhal, which had witnessed large scale violence in which had witnessed large scale violence in which four persons were killed and scores others injured. According to the sources, the survey report contained video footage and photographs taken during the survey inside the mosque in two phases on November 19 and 24 respectively.

The lawyer for the Mosque Committee sought quashing of the district order saying that the survey order was issued by the civil court on the day the petition seeking the same was filed by the Hindu petitioners.