UP government claimed that mosque authorities had submitted misleading pictures in court.
The Sambhal mosque authorities are trying to encroach upon public land, the Uttar Pradesh government has told the Supreme Court about the disputed 16th-century mosque that witnessed violence last December. In a status report filed in the court today, it has also claimed that the mosque authorities had submitted misleading pictures in the court.
The Shahi Jama Masjid in Sambhal is in the middle of a legal battle amid claims by Hindu petitioners that it was built over a Hindu temple.
The mosque as well as the well that has been central to the issue are located on public land, and the mosque authorities are trying to claim private rights over it, asserted the government in its report.
Read: "No Work On Sambhal Mosque Without ASI Approval": District Magistrate
"It is submitted that the well is a public well and is not situated anywhere inside the mosque (or the) dispute religious site...there is no access to the subject well from inside the mosque...(it) has no connection with the disputed site," the report said, adding that it has been used by all communities since time immemorial.
The mosque committee had last month cited a Google Maps image to claim that the well was within the mosque complex. However, the government said the petitioner has annexed misleading photographs and called their application "misconceived".
The government said this well is part of 19 wells in Sambhal being revived by the district administration for rainwater harvesting and water recharge. The revival of these ancient wells is culturally significant and will attract tourism, it argued.
The Supreme Court had last month ordered status quo on an application by the mosque committee in the matter. Requesting the court to dismiss it, the government said today, "The mosque committee's application is not only an attempt to fail the revival process but also harmful to the conservation, development, and environment of the area."
Read: "Lineage Of Those Who Desecrated Temples Will Be Destroyed": Yogi Adityanath
The report follows a top court order last month staying the local administration notice that had allowed puja at the well. The Supreme Court had said the people were allowed to use the well, but could not take part in religious rituals.
The mosque committee has also sought permission to decorate the mosque ahead of Ramzan, but District Magistrate Rajender Pensiya said no such work can be carried out without approval from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).
The Mughal-era mosque witnessed violence last year after a local court ordered a survey based on petitions that a temple once existed at that location. Protesters had clashed with cops leading to multiple casualties.
