The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has submitted its written statement in a civil court in Sambhal, seeking control and management of the Mughal-era Shahi mosque as it is a protected heritage structure.
The statement was submitted in the court on November 29 during a hearing of the Shahi Mosque vs Harihar Mandir case. The same court had appointed a court commissioner to carry out a survey of the mosque.
The Hindu side had filed a civil suit in the court on November 19 claiming that the mosque was built over a Harihar temple in 1529.
Representing the ASI, Vishnu Sharma, standing counsel of the government of India, said the agency submitted its counterargument in the court on Friday, stating that it faced resistance from the mosque’s management committee and locals in conducting surveys of the site.
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He said the ASI also highlighted an incident from January 19, 2018, when an FIR was filed against the mosque’s management committee for installing steel railings on the mosque’s steps without proper authorisation.
The mosque, notified as an ASI-protected monument in 1920, is under the purview of the agency and as such, public access to the structure should be permitted, provided it adheres to ASI regulations, Sharma said.
The ASI argued that control and management of the monument, including any structural modifications, must remain with it.
It also raised concerns that unauthorised changes to the mosque’s structure by the management committee are unlawful and should be restricted.
Shahi Mosque committee chief Zafar Ali admitted that the mosque is an ASI protected monument since 1920. Regarding the ASI statement filed in court, Ali said that the railing was installed in the mosque years ago.
“The present committee exists for six years and don’t know when and who installed the railings,” he said. He clarified that a room and a well constructed inside the premises are also more than a hundred years old.
The ASI filed a case against the committee in 2018, which is under trial and the committee will submit its counter reply once it is listed for hearing, he said.
Ali admitted that the mosque being a protected monument, the committee requires prior approval from ASI to do any alteration or construction work.