Allahabad HC allows whitewashing, lighting of Sambhal Jama Masjid exterior

NEW DELHI: The Allahabad excessive courtroom on Wednesday permitted whitewashing and ornamental lighting of the Sambhal Jama Masjid’s exterior, offered no structural modifications are made. The courtroom scheduled subsequent listening to within the case for April 8.
The courtroom on Monday had directed the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to submit an in depth reply on whether or not whitewashing, extra lighting, and ornamental lights had been needed for the disputed mosque. The ASI was requested to file its response inside 24 hours, with March 12 set because the listening to date.
The mosque, a Mughal-era construction, gained nationwide consideration following unrest on November 24, 2024, which left 4 folks lifeless after an area courtroom ordered a survey of the positioning.
During the listening to, Justice Rohit Ranjan Agarwal said that if additional examination of the construction was required for whitewashing and associated work, the ASI may ship a workforce to examine it. The courtroom additionally directed Uttar Pradesh Advocate-General Ajay Kumar Misra to acquire a duplicate of an alleged settlement dated January 19, 1927, between the mosque’s mutawallis (custodians) and the state, which reportedly outlines the duties of completely different companies concerning the mosque’s maintenance.
Senior advocate SFA Naqvi, representing the mosque administration committee, argued that the ASI had not explicitly opposed whitewashing and extra lighting. He clarified that no portray was required contained in the mosque.
Meanwhile, ASI’s counsel Manoj Kumar Singh famous that whereas there was some flaking on the outer portion of the construction, a closing determination may solely be made after a radical survey by archaeologists and consultants. However, he maintained that whitewashing was pointless. The courtroom noticed that ASI’s stance on the matter was not clearly said in its affidavits.