The appeal has come after PWD’s notice to demolish parts of the mosque for the expansion of the road in the Lalauli village of the district
Team Clarion
NEW DELHI – Disputing the Public Works Department (PWD) claims of encroachment, the committee overseeing the 180-year-old Noori Jama Masjid in Uttar Pradesh’s Fatehpur has urged the state government to preserve the historic Muslim place of worship.
The appeal has come after PWD’s notice to demolish parts of the mosque for the expansion of the road in the Lalauli village of the district. The mosque committee has filed a petition in the Allahabad High Court seeking the preservation of the mosque citing its historical and cultural significance. The matter was scheduled for hearing on 6 December. However, it has now been listed for 13 December.
Speaking to reporters, Moeen Khan, the caretaker of the mosque, said the mosque was built at the site in 1839 when there was no sign of the road. The road was constructed 100 years later.
“The road was constructed 100 years after the mosque was built. At that time, our forefathers did not think that the mosque would become an issue for the road. The road could be carved out from any part of the area. When the mosque was built, there was only jungle in this area,” said Khan.
He pointed out that even today there are fields on the one side of the mosque and houses on the other. “But, the PWD claimed that the mosque is an encroachment as it is built on the land owned by it. That’s why we have filed a petition in the high court,” he said.
In its petition, the mosque committee argued that the demolition of the mosque would not only disrupt the local community but also cause irreversible damage to India’s cultural heritage. “Historical structures, once lost, cannot be replicated or restored,” stated the plea.
It pointed out that the authorities’ failure to respond to previous representations was a neglect of statutory duties and a breach of the public trust doctrine.
The petition appealed to the court to issue a directive restraining the Uttar Pradesh government from proceeding with the demolition based on the issued trespass notice.
It also sought an order directing the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to evaluate the mosque’s status and consider declaring it a protected monument under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958.
The mosque committee, Khan said, has all the documents related to the land. It was once surveyed by the Mayawati government.
He appealed to the government to act according to the last survey of the mosque and preserve the religious site.
Khan pointed out that it is not only the mosque which has come under demolition threat. There is also a historical sarai (travellers’ lodge), 100 metres away from the mosque. It was built in 1050. “How will the government deal with that?” he asked.
