Himachal Pradesh Waqf Board on Friday presented in the district court an 18-year-old document that identified Latif Mohammad as the nominated president of the committee for the under-contention Sanjauli mosque here.
This submission has been made as a result of a court order requiring clarification on Mohammad’s jurisdiction regarding his offer to demolish three unauthorized floors of the mosque, which is a contentious issue amongst members of the society.
The court had on Monday directed the Waqf Board to file an affidavit stating in what capacity Latif Mohammad offered to demolish the three unauthorised floors of the disputed mosque.
In its response, the Waqf Board submitted a letter from 2006 by which Latif Mohammad was holding the position of president in the mosque committee.
Subsequently, Vishva Bhushan as counsel for the All Himachal Muslim Organisation (AHMO), said that this document is important because of points out the continuity of leadership by Mohammad, although its legitimacy of continuing beyond the statutory five years stipulated by the Waqf Act is ambiguous.
According to the Waqf Act, the tenure of committee members is five years, he said.
Latif told reporters, “The Waqf Board in its reply said I have been the president of the Sanjauli Mosque committee since 2006 and the Municipal Commissioners Court had also given notice to me in the capacity of president in September.”
There have been calls from a section of locals for the demolition of the Sanjauli mosque.
On September 11, ten people were injured during a protest against an allegedly illegal portion of the mosque.
A day later, Latif Mohammad, and others, offered to demolish the mosque’s three “unauthorised” floors and sought the permission of the Municipal Commissioner.
Legal battle
The legal battle escalated when after a protest by the Muslim community group led by Latif and other members of the mosque committee agreed to remove the “unauthorized structure” of the mosque and sought permission from the Municipal Corporation.
This demolition was later permitted by the Municipal Commissioner’s Court on the 5th of October and was to be accomplished within two months. However, AHMO challenged this order hoping that the court would vacate it during the next hearing session, leaving the future of the mosque uncertain in doubt due to ongoing tensions between the communities.
The next hearing on the matter has been fixed for November 30.
(With inputs from PTI)
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