The Allahabad High Court has dismissed the civil revision petition filed by the Shahi Jama Masjid management committee in Sambhal, clearing the path for the continuation of court-ordered survey proceedings in the district court. Justice Rohit Ranjan Agarwal rejected the arguments made by the mosque’s legal team, reaffirming the jurisdiction of the Sambhal civil court.
The controversy began on November 19, 2024, when petitioners filed a plea in Sambhal’s Civil Judge (Senior Division) court, alleging that the mosque was built in 1526 after demolishing an ancient Harihar temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu’s final avatar, Kalki. The court had subsequently ordered a survey of the mosque premises.
In response, the mosque management approached the Supreme Court, which on April 29, 2025, directed the committee to move the High Court and respond to the state government’s status report within two weeks. The report claimed that the disputed well lies outside the mosque’s premises.
Advocate Gopal Sharma, representing the Hindu side, stated that the survey had already been completed in two phases before the mosque committee moved higher courts. The main legal issue was whether the Civil Judge (Senior Division) in Sambhal had the authority to order the survey and whether the case should remain in that court or be transferred elsewhere.
With the High Court’s ruling, it is now confirmed that the matter will proceed in the Sambhal district court, and the survey process will continue there.
