All India Muslim personal law board moves court in Barabanki mosque case

LUCKNOW: The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) on Friday moved the Allahabad high court against "illegal demolition" of Masjid Gareeb Nawaz--Tehseel wali Masjid, in Barabanki's Ram Sanehi Ghat city area.
Earlier on Thursday, the UP Sunni Central Waqf Board, under which the mosque was registered since 1958, had also filed a petition in court seeking justice on the matter.
The mosque which was said to be a century old was demolished by the Barabanki administration under an anti-encroachment drive on May 17.A few days later on May 23, a three member committee was formed by the government to probe the veracity of documents that led to the mosque's demolition.
AIMPLB's officiating general secretary Maulana Khalid Saifullah Rahmani said, "The mosque was martyred by the district administration and police in the dark of the night on May 17 which was completely an illegal act. The mosque was registered under UP Sunni Central Waqf board but it was plundered even then."
He added that both the petitions focus on the illegal nature of the demolition. "Mosque was on Waqf land so no magistrate or any other officer can take indiscriminate action on it. Waqf board was formed through Waqf Act and its matters have to be taken up by the Waqf Tribunal," he said.
"In March 2021, the additional district magistrate (ADM) Barabanki had issued a notice to the mosque committee regarding the land. Against this notice, a case was filed in the high court. The court had granted 15 days' time to reply from March 18. The reply was submitted in court on April 1 and yet the district administration taking law in its hand and undermining Muslim sentiments, demolished the mosque illegally," Maulana Rahmani added.
A day after the demolition, AIMPLB had demanded that the government makes sure that the mosque's debris and rubble stay put on the same land, no other construction is done on the land, guilty officials be suspended, a probe be ordered under the high court judge and that the government take responsibility for construction of a mosque on the said land and hand it over to Muslims.
"However, none of these demands were taken into account and so we have moved court. The petition is in the name of AIMPLB and Barabanki residents Hashmat Ali and Naeem Ahmad and has been filed by advocate Saud Raees. The petition will be fought in court by head of AIMPLB's legal committee advocate Yusuf Machhala," said Maulana Rahmani.
Earlier on Thursday, the UP Sunni waqf board had also filed a writ in court on the matter. This writ has been filed through advocate Syed Aftab Ahmad and will be fought in court by senior advocate Jaideep Mathur.