People faced fake FIRs, water cannons: Advocate after Shimla court orders demolition of Sanjauli mosque

SHIMLA (Himachal Pradesh): The Municipal Court of Shimla has ordered the total demolition of the Sanjauli mosque, declaring the structure illegal and in violation of municipal laws. The ruling follows years of litigation over land ownership and building permissions.

Advocate Jagat Pal, representing a local resident of Sanjauli, said the court’s decision reflects long-standing concerns about legality.

“Today this mosque has been declared illegal. For 15 years, Waqf Board has never been able to present a single document to prove that the land (the mosque is built on) is legal,” he said.

He added that the court found a clear violation of municipal rules. “It was declared in the verdict that this is clear violation of MC law. Commissioner reserved this order around 1 PM. This might have relieved the people who faced fake FIRs and water cannons from the police. Hopefully all the five floors of the mosque will be demolished by the Municipal Corporation employees,” Pal said.

Advocate B.S. Thakur, representing the Waqf Board, stated that the legal dispute has been ongoing since 2010.

“The case has been going on since 2010. Waqf Board came in much later. The court had declared ground floor and first floor unauthorised, and were reconstructed without permission. It has been declared unauthorised and it will be released in the detailed order when and by whom will it be demolished,” he told reporters.

Earlier on Saturday, Shimla court ordered demolition of the remaining two lower floors of the mosque. This ruling follows a hearing in the Municipal Corporation Commissioner’s Court, where the Waqf Board’s failure to present required documents led to the court’s decision.

The Waqf Board was supposed to submit ownership documents of the mosque land along with architectural plans before the court on Saturday. However, the Waqf Board’s lawyer failed to provide valid documents or present a convincing argument in defence.

The lawyer claimed that the mosque existed at this site before 1947, and that the current structure has replaced the old one.

In response to the claim, the Municipal Corporation Court questioned why the Waqf Board did not seek the necessary permissions, including building plans, from the Corporation if the mosque had been rebuilt after 1947. The court observed that the mosque was constructed in violation of rules.

After a nearly 45-minute hearing, the court reserved its decision, which was announced on Saturday afternoon by Municipal Commissioner Bhupinder Atri. The verdict clearly stated that the entire mosque structure is illegal and must be demolished.

“The court has rightly concluded that the mosque was built in complete violation of municipal norms. No permissions were taken, no map was approved, and yet a multi-storied building was constructed. This decision upholds the law and the rights of local residents who have been raising concerns for years,” said Jagat Pal, Advocate for local residents of Sanjauli. (ANI)