New Delhi, Sep 6 (IANS) As the controversy over the demolition of the mosque inside the Saharanpur Collectorate campus continues to intensify, All India Imam Association President Maulana Sajid Rashidi on Sunday alleged that the “real culprit” in the matter was the district court, which dismissed the plea filed by the Muslim side and passed its order in “sheer haste”.
The remarks came a day after a mosque located inside the Saharanpur Collectorate campus was demolished on Saturday morning, triggering a political controversy in Uttar Pradesh.
Opposition parties have accused the BJP-led state government of promoting communal politics and carrying out targeted action against a particular community ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections.
Speaking to IANS, Rashidi strongly criticised the manner in which the action was carried out and alleged that the demolition amounted to a serious violation of constitutional principles and the rule of law.
“The manner in which the Collectorate Mosque in Saharanpur has been demolished through outright authoritarianism, intimidation, and high-handedness is a major stain on the Constitution, the nation’s charter, and the rule of law,” Rashidi said.
The demolition followed a legal dispute over the status of the structure and the land on which it stood. A district court had dismissed an appeal against an earlier order holding that the structure had been built on government land and was unauthorised.
The September 2 order itself did not specifically mention demolition. Instead, it dismissed the appeal and upheld an earlier order passed by a magistrate on July 16.
The July 16 order had directed the eviction of the mosque under the Uttar Pradesh Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorised Occupants) Act, 1972, after concluding that the structure occupied 315 square metres of government land.
Rashidi disputed the finding regarding the ownership of the land and claimed that documents establishing Muslim ownership had been submitted before the court.
“That mosque and that site, in fact, even the Collectorate itself stands on land belonging to Muslims named Yaqoob Khan and Waheed Khan. Despite all relevant documents and records being formally submitted, the district court dismissed the plea and did not deem it necessary to examine them or deliberate upon them, and issued the demolition order in sheer haste,” he alleged.
“Muslims still had 22 days remaining to file an appeal and approach a higher court, yet no time was granted. In the dead of night, after shutting down internet services and placing various community leaders under house arrest, the mosque was deliberately brought down so that the Bharatiya Janata Party could exploit it for politics, and other political parties would also get an opportunity to politicise the matter,” he said.
The Imam Association chief also levelled serious allegations against the district court judge, claiming that the verdict was influenced by considerations of personal career advancement. He further alleged that the decision disregarded the religious sentiments of the Muslim community.
“The real culprit in this matter is the district court, which deliberately passed this verdict for the sake of personal career advancement. We witnessed how the judge who delivered the Babri Masjid judgment, Mr Gogoi, was promptly nominated to the Rajya Sabha. Likewise, motivated by promotion, they completely disregarded that they were playing with the faith and religious sentiments of Muslims. By hastily delivering this verdict, the court forced the SSP (Senior Superintendent of Police) to demolish the structure,” Rashidi alleged.
He also called upon the government and administrative authorities to take action against those he held responsible for the demolition, including the judge and the SSP.
–IANS
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