Supreme Court Intervenes in Mosque Demolition Contempt Case

The Supreme Court has ordered Uttar Pradesh authorities to explain why they should not face contempt charges for demolishing a part of Kushinagar's Madni mosque, supposedly in defiance of court directives. Until a final decision, the court mandates no further demolitions, following allegations of legal process violations and neglect of natural justice principles.

The Supreme Court on Monday commanded Uttar Pradesh officials to justify why they should not be held in contempt for allegedly dismantling a mosque in violation of its prior directive.

The bench, comprising Justices B R Gavai and Augustine George Masih, has declared a halt to further demolitions pending conclusive directives. The case arises from charges that officials in Kushinagar violated specific judicial orders by proceeding with the demolition without due process.

Filed by advocate Abdul Qadir Abbasi, the petition challenges the demolition of a mosque on February 9, claiming it defied the Supreme Court’s November guidelines. These guidelines mandate advance show cause notices and allow aggrieved parties a hearing. Held on private, municipally sanctioned land, the mosque's demolition lacked a requisite procedural adherence, according to the plea.

(With inputs from agencies.)