A district court in Mathura has fixed Thursday, 10 December, as the next day for hearing of a plea seeking the removal of a mosque adjacent to what is called the “Krishna Janmabhhomi”.
Reportedly, no representative of the Shri Krishna Janambhoomi Trust, which, according to PTI, has been named as one of the defendants, showed up in the court on Wednesday.
WHAT IS THIS CASE ABOUT?
Mathura is considered to be the birthplace of Lord Krishna.
The mosque in question is the Shahi Idgah mosque, was built in the 17th century. According to petitioners, it was built at the birthplace of Lord Krishna, within the 13-acre premises of the Katra Keshav Dev temple.
The petitioners, are thereby, according to PTI, seeking the annulment of an earlier court ruling ratifying a land deal between the Shri Krishna Janmasthan Seva Sansthan and the Shahi Idgah Management Committee.
WHO ARE THE PETITIONERS?
According to PTI, a group of people had filed the suits on behalf of a child deity, Bhagwan Shri Krishna Virajman, through the "next friend" Ranjana Agnihotri and others.
A direct representative of someone unable to maintain a suit is referred to as the “next friend” in law.
WHO ARE THE DEFENDANTS?
The petition names the Uttar Pradesh Sunni Central Waqf Board, Shahi Masjid Idgah Trust, Shri Krishna Janambhoomi Trust, and Shri Krishna Janmasthan Seva Sansthan as defendants, according to PTI.
BACKGROUND
A local court in Mathura on Friday, 16 October, admitted a plea seeking to remove a mosque adjacent to the Krishna Janmabhoomi.
Earlier in October, a civil court in Mathura had dismissed a plea seeking order to remove the Shahi Idgah Mosque. The petitioner had alleged that it was built over Krishna Janmabhoomi.
MEANWHILE
In a separate case, a five-judge Constitution bench of the Supreme Court headed by the then Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi had ruled, in 2019, that the disputed land in Ayodhya be given for the construction of a temple, while an alternate plot would be allotted for the construction of a mosque.
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