Mosque in Allahabad HC not to be removed for now, SC directs status quo

The Supreme Court today directed for the status quo to be maintained in the case pertaining to the removal of a Mosque inside the Allahabad High Court premises..The Bench of Justices Madan B Lokur and Deepak Gupta also issued notice to the Respondents in this petition, filed by the Waqf Board. The appeal is against the Allahabad High Court order that had directed removal of the structure from the premises last year..Senior Counsel Kapil Sibal, arguing for the petitioner, brought to the Court’s notice that despite the Top Court’s order to the Uttar Pradesh government to find a solution to the problem, there has been no progress..The Court thus, issued notice to the Respondents, while directing for status quo to be maintained vis-à-vis the Mosque..On November 8 last year, a two-judge Bench of the Allahabad High Court of Chief Justice DB Bhosale and Justice MK Gupta had arrived at a conclusion that,.“the unauthorized possession, as well as the unauthorized structures existing over the site in dispute, cannot be permitted to continue any longer”.The High Court had also noted in its judgment that the there is an “acute crunch of space” in the Court and observed that the Waqf property is causing hindrance to the movement of the fire brigade in the premises of the High Court..It was also observed that due to the increase in the number of Judges and the shortage of space, the High Court could not arrange separate chambers for twelve judges, who are sharing six chambers..It had, therefore, directed the Waqf Board to remove the mosque and hand over the possession of the land to the High Court within three months..Allahabad High Court, through Senior Counsel Mukul Rohatgi, had told the Supreme Court in April this year that a mosque structure cannot be accommodated inside the Court’s premises. The Court had then issued notice to the State of UP to evaluate if the State could provide alternate land for relocation of the Mosque..Read Order: