High Stakes Verdict Looming in Sambhal Religious Dispute

The Allahabad High Court is poised to deliver a significant verdict on a civil revision petition in the contentious case involving the Jama Masjid and Harihar Mandir in Sambhal district. This legal battle has seen the mosque's management seeking to halt proceedings in the district court trial through a petition.

In a conversation with ANI, Advocate Gopal Sharma, representing the Hindu faction, outlined the crucial elements of the impending judgment. The court will decide whether the Civil Judge Senior Division Sambhal was authorized to mandate a survey as part of the proceedings. Initiated on November 19, 2024, the survey has been a focal point of contention, prompting the mosque's management to challenge it at the Supreme Court, which redirected them to the Allahabad High Court.

The verdict will also determine whether the case should continue in the Civil Judge Senior Division Sambhal or be transferred elsewhere. The Supreme Court had previously imposed a temporary halt on the trial court's proceedings, demanding a thorough review of the state's status report indicating the well in dispute lies outside the mosque. This case has heightened tensions in Sambhal, leading to a deadly confrontation following the contentious survey order. Allegations have emerged that the mosque was constructed on the site of a demolished Harihar temple.

(With inputs from agencies.)