A Mathura Court has issued notices to the Shahi Idgah Masjid management committee & others, seeking their stands on a fresh plea for the removal of a 17th-century mosque from near the birthplace of Lord Krishna in the Katra Keshav Dev temple complex here.
On Saturday, Additional District & Sessions Judge Dev Kant Shukla issued notices after admitting the plea, ruling that the suit is "maintainable & hence admissible" for detailed hearing, District Govt Counsel (Civil) Sanjai Gaur said.
After admitting the civil suit, the court also issued notices to 3 other respondents -- the president of Sunni Waqf Board, Lucknow & the managing trustees of Sri Krishna Janmabhumi Trust Katra Keshav Dev temple & Sri Krishna Seva Sansthan, Katra Keshav Dev temple.
DGC Gaur said that the Court sought the stands of the four respondents to the new plea by March 8, the next date of hearing.
The fresh plea has been filed by priest Pawan Kumar Shastri of the old Keshav Dev temple on behalf of the temple's deity, Thakur Keshav Dev Ji Maharaj Virajman.
'Sevayat' Shastri has made three demands in his plea, firstly claiming the right to manage the entire 13.37 acres land of the Katra Keshav Dev temple complex, including the land on which the Shahi Idgah mosque stands.
He sought the right to manage the entire temple complex claiming that his ancestors have been serving as priests of the deity for decades & he has inherited the right from them as the temple's real 'sevayat' (priest).
Shastri has also demanded the annulment of a 1967 ruling of Mathura Court which has ratified a land deal between the Shri Krishna Janmasthan Seva Sansthan & Shahi Idgah Management Committee, allowing the existence of the mosque near the temple.
In his 3rd plea, Shastri has demanded a court direction to the Shahi Masjid Idgah's management committee & Lucknow's Sunni Waqf Board's president to remove the mosque from its current location.
Besides the present suit, three more suits are pending with Mathura Courts on the issue.
One suit, filed by advocate Mahendra Pratap Singh on behalf of five plaintiffs, has been admitted for the hearing by the Court.
The admissibility of 2 others, filed respectively by advocate Hari Shankar Jain for Sri Krishna Virajman through the deity's next friend Ranjana Agnihotri & others & advocate Shailendra Singh for Hindu Army chief Manish Yadav, are yet to be decided, DGC (Civil) Gaur said.
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