Krishna Janambhooomi matter: SC disposes plea over consolidation of 15 suits

New Delhi [India], March 19 (ANI): The Supreme Court on Tuesday disposed of the Idgah Committee plea challenging the Allahabad High Court decision to consolidate 15 suits concerning the Krishna Janmabhoomi-Shahi Idgah Masjid dispute.

A bench led by Justice Sanjiv Khanna observed that an application to recall the order under challenge is pending before the High Court.

The Committee of Management Trust Shahi Masjid Idgah has challenged Allahabad High Court decision to consolidate fifteen suits concerning the Krishna Janmabhoomi-Shahi Idgah Masjid dispute.

Allahabad High Court on January 11, 2024, directed to consolidate fifteen suits concerning the Krishna Janmabhoomi-Shahi Idgah Masjid dispute.

After the hearing, Advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain, representing the Hindu side, told ANI that the Supreme Court asked Shahi Idgah Masjid to present its case in Allahabad High Court.

“Supreme Court asked Shahi Idgah Masjid to present its case in Allahabad High Court. Allahabad High Court had consolidated 15 cases suits concerning the Krishna Janmabhoomi-Shahi Idgah Masjid dispute to hear them together and today Shahi Idgah Masjid came to the Supreme Court against that order,” Vishnu Shankar Jain said.

“Supreme Court said that the Idgah Committee has already filed a recall application against the order of consolidation of the Allahabad High Court, so first the recall application should be decided and then you can approach the Supreme Court,” he added.

In the plea, the Idgah Committee said that 15 different suits have been hurriedly consolidated without a proper hearing and the HC’s order deserves to be set aside as the suits have been filed by different parties with competing claims against one another and seeking different reliefs and as such, the consolidation of these suits is bound to lead to severe miscarriage of justice.

The various matters relating to Mathura’s Krishna Janambhoomi land dispute are being dealt in different legal forums.

Earlier, the Committee of Management Trust Shahi Masjid Idgah has filed an appeal in the top court challenging Allahabad High Court order, which transfers to itself all the petitions relating to Mathura’s Krishna Janambhoomi land dispute from District Court Mathura, Uttar Pradesh Masjid Idgah challenged the order dated May 26 passed by the Allahabad High Court, whereby it transferred all such cases relating to the Krishna Janambhoomi dispute from the District Court Mathura, Uttar Pradesh, to itself.

Ranjana Agnihotri, a resident of Lucknow, had filed a suit in Mathura court demanding the ownership of 13.37 acres of land by Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi.

In her legal suit, Agnihotri demanded the removal of the Shahi Idgah mosque built in Krishna Janmabhoomi.

The suit filed in the Mathura court sought the removal of a mosque said to have been built in 1669-70 on the orders of the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb in the 13.37-acre premises of Katra Keshav Dev temple, near the birthplace of Lord Krishna.