File affidavit on Sanjauli mosque panel, dist court tells Waqf Board

The district court today directed the Himachal Pradesh Waqf Board to file an affidavit on November 22 regarding the constitution of the Sanjauli Mosque Committee. The court had sought the details of the Sanjauli Mosque Committee from the Board and asked it to clarify whether there was such a committee or not.

Advocate Vishwa Bhushan, who is representing the All Himachal Muslim Organisation, said during the hearing that Salim and Muhammad Latif had never been the presidents of the Sanjauli Mosque Committee and were not authorised under Section 18 of the Waqf Act and had no right to appear in the Municipal Commissioner’s Court as well as had no right to offer to demolish three floors of the mosque.

He said that the Commissioner’s Court did not ask the duo under what capacity they were appearing before it. “There is no Sanjauli Mosque Committee and the court has also directed the Waqf Board to clarify whether such a committee was constituted or not under the Waqf Act,” he added.

The advocate said, “We have appealed to the district court to review the Commissioner Court’s decision and hear only the authorised members of the mosque committee to take further decision in the matter.” The next hearing in the case is scheduled for November 22.

On October 5, the Commissioner’s Court had directed the Sanjauli Mosque Committee and the HP Waqf Board to demolish the top three floors of the five-storey mosque but the All Himachal Muslim Organisation challenged the decision in the district court. However, the district court during hearing in the case had rejected the plea of the organisation seeking a stay on the Commissioner’s Court decision.

The case that is being heard in the Commissioner’s Court since 2010 came to limelight when several persons belonging to a particular community attacked a local in the Malyana area which later became the catalyst for the demand for the demolition of the mosque at Sanjauli.