UP court to hear Sambhal mosque dispute case on February 24
A court in Uttar Pradesh’s Chandausi on Thursday fixed February 24 as the date for hearing the ongoing Shahi Jama Masjid-Harihar temple dispute in Sambhal. The matter has been listed for hearing before the court of Civil Judge Aditya Singh.
Shakeel Ahmed Warsi, the advocate for the Shahi Jama Masjid, told reporters that the hearing scheduled for Thursday has been postponed to February 24 due to a stay in the Supreme Court. While the Muslim side has challenged the maintainability of the case in the Allahabad High Court, the High Court, on May 19, 2025, upheld a trial court order permitting a court-monitored survey of the mosque.
Speaking to reporters, Gopal Sharma, the advocate representing the Hindu side, said that since there is a stay order from the Supreme Court in the matter, the trial court cannot issue any orders. The Supreme Court will hear the case on January 12, Sharma said.
The dispute dates back to November 19, 2024, when Hindu petitioners, including advocates Hari Shankar Jain and Vishnu Shankar Jain, filed a suit in the Sambhal district court claiming the mosque was built over a temple.
A court-ordered survey was conducted on the same day (November 19), followed by another on November 24.
The second survey led to significant unrest in Sambhal, resulting in the deaths of four persons and injuries to 29 police personnel.
Police booked Samajwadi Party MP Ziaur Rahman Barq and mosque committee head Zafar Ali in connection with the violence, besides registering an FIR against 2,750 unidentified persons.
