Enforcement order against mosque in Mandi stayed
Enforcement of the order of the Mandi Municipal Corporation Commissioner’s court has been stayed by the court of Principal Secretary, Urban Development and Town and Country Planning, HP Government, preventing any immediate action against a mosque in Mandi.
The court of Municipal Corporation, Mandi, on September 13 had found the mosque to be illegal as it had been allegedly reconstructed without approval of the Himachal Pradesh Town and Country Planning Act. The court had asked the concerned mosque committee to restore the mosque to its original state.
The Ahle Islam Muslim Welfare Committee had filed an appeal against the order issued by the Municipal Commissioner-cum-Director of Town and Country Planning, directing the restoration of a mosque situated on the Jail Road to its original state. The order dated September 13 claimed that certain changes in the mosque structure had been made without the necessary permissions.
The committee argued that the mosque, recorded in official land records as early as 1936, has existed on the said land for over a century. Following heavy rainfall in August 2023, significant portions of the structure were damaged. The committee’s counsel emphasised that the mosque had been historically recognised as belonging to Ahle Islam, with current records indicating its possession of 386.19 sq m area.
The court has ordered the respondent to submit relevant documents within three days as the next hearing is scheduled in 10 days.
