{"id":184919,"date":"2025-10-04T11:54:43","date_gmt":"2025-10-04T06:54:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kmsnews.org\/kms\/?p=184919"},"modified":"2025-10-04T11:54:43","modified_gmt":"2025-10-04T06:54:43","slug":"gujarat-high-court-refuses-stay-on-demolition-of-400-year-old-mosque","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kmsnews.org\/kms\/2025\/10\/04\/gujarat-high-court-refuses-stay-on-demolition-of-400-year-old-mosque.html","title":{"rendered":"Gujarat High Court refuses stay on demolition of 400-year-old mosque"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Ahmedabad: In yet another blow to India\u2019s Muslim heritage, the Gujarat High Court declined to stay the demolition of a portion of the 400-year-old Mancha Masjid in Ahmedabad\u2019s Saraspur area, paving the way for its partial destruction under the pretext of a road-widening project.<\/p>\n

According to Kashmir Media Service, the ruling came after the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) issued a notice to the mosque\u2019s committee to vacate a portion of the mosque for a development plan. The mosque\u2019s Mutawalli had approached the court, asserting that the mosque \u2014 a registered Waqf property under the Bombay Public Trusts Act since 1950 \u2014 holds profound historical, cultural, and religious significance for Muslims.<\/p>\n

The petition argued that the demolition order violated provisions of the Gujarat Provincial Municipal Corporations (GPMC) Act and the Waqf Act, in addition to infringing upon constitutional rights of religious freedom. The appellants also contended that the single-bench judge who earlier dismissed their plea had misrepresented legal provisions and ignored detailed objections filed against the demolition.<\/p>\n

Despite these concerns, the division bench of Justices A.S. Supehia and L.S. Pirzada refused to grant relief, noting that \u201cthe main structure of the mosque was not being demolished, only a portion of the premises.\u201d The bench further remarked that the single-judge order \u201chas not committed any illegality\u201d in rejecting the writ petition, effectively brushing aside arguments regarding procedural lapses and constitutional violations.<\/p>\n

Legal experts and community leaders have decried the verdict as reflective of a growing judicial indifference \u2014 and at times, bias \u2014 towards Muslim religious sites. They argue that while courts frequently intervene to safeguard Hindu temples, mosques and other Islamic heritage sites are increasingly left vulnerable under the guise of \u201cdevelopment\u201d or \u201cpublic interest.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ahmedabad: In yet another blow to India\u2019s Muslim heritage, the Gujarat High Court declined to stay the demolition of a portion of the 400-year-old Mancha Masjid in Ahmedabad\u2019s Saraspur area, paving the way for its partial destruction under the pretext of a road-widening project. According to Kashmir Media Service, the ruling came after the Ahmedabad …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":184920,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[5],"class_list":["post-184919","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-india","tag-top-story"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t