Mathura Krishna Janambhoomi land dispute: Supreme Court lists matter to January 9

A bench of Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Sudhanshu Dhulia listed the matter for January 9.

The court said that it appears that the matter would have to be heard and asked both parties to file a short synopsis.

The top court also commented that it is not acceptable to bench that the parties can come to Delhi but not go to Allahabad. The comment was made when the lawyer of the mosque committee raised the issue of the distance of Mathura from Allahabad.

In the early hearing, the Supreme Court asked the registrar of Allahabad High Court to give details of the suits that are being dealt with in the court relating to Mathura's Krishna Janambhoomi land dispute.

The Committee of Management Trust Shahi Masjid Idgah has filed an appeal in the top court challenging the Allahabad High Court order, which transfers to itself all the petitions relating to Mathura's Krishna Janambhoomi land dispute from District Court Mathura, Uttar Pradesh.

The plea was moved by the Committee of Management Trust Shahi Masjid Idgah through advocate RHA Sikander.

The Committee of Management Trust Shahi Masjid Idgah challenged the order dated May 26 passed by the Allahabad High Court, whereby it transferred all such cases relating to the Krishna Janambhoomi dispute from the District Court in Mathura, Uttar Pradesh, to itself.

The transfer application was allowed by the high court despite the fact that the proceedings in the suit from which the transfer emanated were stayed by a Coordinate Bench of the High Court of Judicature at Allahabad vide Order dated August 3, 2022.

The impugned judgement takes away two appellate stages and also transfers other suits to the High Court of Judicature at Allahabad for which no transfer applications were filed.

"The impugned judgement is passed on a mere ipse dixit by indulging in the prophecy of the respondents No. 1 to 8 that 'in case the trial court itself decides the suit, it will take a long time without even considering that the suit was registered only on May 26, 2022, and the proceedings therein were subsequently stayed by a Coordinate Bench of the High Court of Judicature at Allahabad vide Order dated August 3, 2022, which remained in force till May 1, 2023," read the petition.

So far, nine cases have been filed in Mathura Court in the cases of Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi and Shahi Idgah Masjid.

Ranjana Agnihotri, a resident of Lucknow, had filed a suit demanding the ownership of 13.37 acres of land owned by Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi.

In her legal suit, Agnihotri demanded the removal of the Shahi Idgah mosque built in Krishna Janmabhoomi.

The suit filed in the Mathura court sought the removal of a mosque said to have been built in 1669-70 on the orders of the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb in the 13.37-acre premises of Katra Keshav Dev temple, near the birthplace of Lord Krishna. (ANI)