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Shimla, Oct 30 (IANS) A Shimla court on Thursday upheld the Municipal Commissioner’s court’s decision to demolish the mosque at Sanjauli, on the outskirts of the Himachal Pradesh capital, as it was illegal and had sparked widespread protests.
Additional District and Sessions Judge Yajuvinder Singh, rejecting the appeal of Himachal Pradesh Waqf Board and Sanjauli Masjid Committee, directed to demolish all the floors of the mosque declared illegal.
On May 3, the Commissioner Court declared the mosque illegal and directed the Waqf Board and the Mosque Committee to demolish the mosque.
After the court order, both the Waqf Board and the Mosque Committee challenged the decision in the Shimla District Court.
However, the Sanjauli Masjid Committee said it would challenge the district court’s decision in the High Court.
Petitioners’ lawyer Jagat Pal said that the Waqf Board and the Mosque Committee had filed two appeals in the district court.
However, both appeals were dismissed by the district court.
“Now the entire mosque will be demolished,” Pal told the media.
Earlier, the Municipal Commissioner’s court had ordered the demolition of two additional floors of the mosque.
A similar order was issued last year to demolish its three floors.
The Waqf Board counsel said the mosque originally existed before 1947 and was rebuilt after it was demolished.
However, Commissioner Bhupendra Kumar Attri had asked why necessary permissions, including architectural plans, were not taken from the Municipal Corporation for its reconstruction.
The Waqf Board had also failed to produce the revenue records of the mosque during the court hearing.
The Himachal Pradesh High Court had directed the Municipal Corporation Commissioner to decide the case by May 8.
The Commissioner Court passed the order after hearing both the sides.
In September last year, communal clashes had erupted after some members of a community took shelter in the mosque.
Local residents, led by Hindu organisations, had demanded demolition of the unauthorized mosque structure and registration of outsiders coming to the state.
–IANS
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