Allahabad High Court Stays Damages Recovery After Saharanpur Mosque Demolition

The Allahabad High Court has stayed the recovery of 6.41 crore rupees in damages imposed on the management of a mosque that was demolished at the Saharanpur Collectorate complex. Justice Rohit Ranjan Agarwal issued the stay and sought a response from the Uttar Pradesh government and local administration within three weeks. The court is hearing a petition filed by Mohammad Tanveer Ahmad, who challenged eviction proceedings initiated under the Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorised Occupants) Act.

The mosque was demolished on September 5, following a September 2 decision by a district court to dismiss an appeal against an earlier eviction order. The petitioner and his lawyer, Ashish Kumar Singh, argued that the government acted hastily by bulldozing the structure within three days of the eviction order. They contended that the mosque had existed for over 100 years and that the land was dedicated as waqf property by original owners Yaqub Khan and Wahid Khan.

Additional Advocate General Manish Goyal, representing the state, countered these claims by stating that official records list the property as belonging to the Collectorate. The state argued that the petitioner provided no waqf deed or specific date of dedication and noted that the alleged original landlords never staked a claim to the property. The state further asserted that the mosque was constructed after rooms were taken on rent and that a post office operates on the disputed land.

Outlets with a left lean framed the event as a case of government haste, emphasizing that the structure was bulldozed shortly after the order. Outlets with a center right lean focused more on the state's argument regarding fraudulent ownership entries and the lack of documentation for the waqf claim.