NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court has expedited the hearing date to December 1 for a petition challenging the prohibition on offering prayers in the Mughal Mosque located in the Mehrauli area.
The managing committee of the Mughal Mosque, appointed by the Delhi Waqf Board, had filed a petition in the high court last year, alleging that officials from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) abruptly and unlawfully halted the practice of namaz (Islamic prayers) in the mosque on May 13, 2022.
Allowing an early hearing application by the petitioner, Justice Prateek Jalan said in a recent order, "List on 01.12.2023. The next date of hearing i.e. 30.01.2024 stands cancelled."
The advocate representing the petitioner, M. Sufian Siddiqui, stated that prayers had been regularly offered inside the mosque until last year when the ASI abruptly intervened without any prior notice.
Notably, the court had previously asked the ASI to clarify its policy regarding permitting prayers by worshipers in religious sites situated within protected monuments.
In response to the petition, the ASI has asserted that the mosque in question is situated within the boundaries of the Qutub Minar complex, thereby falling within a protected area, and consequently, the offering of prayers cannot be allowed there.
The ASI has also raised concerns, suggesting that permitting religious worship in the Mughal Mosque could establish a precedent with potential repercussions for other monuments. The ASI emphasized that Qutub Minar is not a place of worship, having never been used for religious practices by any community since it was designated a protected site.
"It is submitted that the Mosque in question comes within the boundary of Qutub Minar Complex," the ASI's response added.
(With agency inputs)
