Whitewash Dispute: HC grants time to Sambhal mosque panel for response, hearing on March 10

The Allahabad high court on Tuesday granted time to the management committee of the Sambhal mosque to submit its response to the objections raised by the Hindu side regarding an application seeking the whitewashing of the mosque. The court scheduled the next hearing for March 10, 2025.

During the proceeding, the counsel for the mosque committee informed the court that he had filed objections to the Archaeological Survey of India’s (ASI) report. In response, the ASI’s counsel sought time to file a reply.

Last Friday, the high court directed the ASI to clean the premises but did not issue an order for whitewashing or painting. The mosque committee’s counsel stated that cleaning work is underway under ASI’s supervision, in compliance with the court’s earlier directive.

As the court dictated its order, the counsel for the Hindu side, advocate Hari Shankar Jain, requested that the mosque be referred to as a “disputed structure.” The court accepted the request and instructed the stenographer accordingly. However, in Tuesday’s order (dated March 4), the term “structure of disputed mosque” was used.

Advocate Jain stated that in cases involving disputed structures, it cannot be called a mosque or anything else until the court delivers a verdict.

Meanwhile, advocate general Arun Kumar Misra informed the court that law and order have been maintained around the structure by state authorities.

The matter will be taken up again on March 10, when the ASI will respond to the objections raised by the mosque committee against its report, which stated that whitewashing was not required.

The Sambhal mosque came into focus after unrest in the district on November 24, 2024, following a survey of the Mughal-era Jama Mosque by a team led by an advocate commissioner under local court orders.