Supreme Court Extends Stay on Allahabad HC Order for Shahi Idgah Mosque Survey

The Supreme Court has extended its stay on an Allahabad High Court order permitting a court-monitored survey of the Shahi Idgah mosque complex in Mathura. The Hindu side asserts that the site displays remnants of a temple. The case hinges on the 1991 Places of Worship Act, which prohibits altering the religious character of sites as they were on the date of India's independence.

The Supreme Court has extended its stay until November on the Allahabad High Court's order that allowed a court-monitored survey of the Shahi Idgah mosque complex next to the Krishna Janmabhoomi temple in Mathura.

A bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Sanjay Kumar continued the stay initially imposed on January 16. The high court had permitted the survey and appointed a court commissioner to oversee it.

The Hindu side claims the site indicates an erstwhile temple. The case involves multiple petitions challenging the survey and concerns the 1991 Places of Worship Act, which restricts altering religious site characters as of India's Independence Day.