Shimla Court Upholds Order to Demolish Sanjauli Mosque Structure

The District Court in Shimla on Thursday upheld the Municipal Commissioner Court’s order directing the demolition of the entire structure of the Sanjauli mosque. The Court dismissed the petitions filed by the Himachal Pradesh Waqf Board and the Sanjauli Mosque Committee challenging the demolition order.

The Bench, led by Additional District and Sessions Judge Yajuvinder Singh, heard the matter and upheld the earlier order of the Commissioner Court.

The Sanjauli Mosque Committee had approached the Court against the May 3 order of the Commissioner Court, which had directed the demolition of the remaining two floors of the five-storey building located in Shimla’s Sanjauli area. Authorities had already begun implementing a previous directive to demolish the top three floors of the structure.

The Commissioner Court had first, on October 5, 2024, ordered the demolition of the top three floors, declaring them illegal constructions. The mosque committee had voluntarily agreed to remove those floors but objected to the instruction to demolish the remaining two. On May 3 this year, the Commissioner Court reiterated that the lower two floors must also be razed, as the Waqf Board failed to produce valid ownership records for the land.

The Court, after reserving the verdict on October 6 following detailed arguments from both sides, dismissed the petitions seeking a stay on the Commissioner Court’s order and directed that the remaining two floors be demolished. It observed that the Waqf Board and the mosque committee could not furnish credible evidence of ownership over the disputed land, advocate Jagat Pal, representing local residents, said.

Following the verdict, Muhammad Latif of the Sanjauli Mosque Committee stated that they would now move the High Court against the decision and, if required, approach the Supreme Court.

Bench: Additional District and Sessions Judge Yajuvinder Singh

Order Date: October 29

Inputs: PTI