Staff Reporter Ujjain/New Delhi
The Madhya Pradesh High Court on Monday disposed of two writ appeals concerning the proposed removal of a portion of Ujjain’s historic Shahi Masjid for road widening ahead of the Simhastha Kumbh Mela 2028, after the mosque management and the Ujjain Municipal Corporation reached an agreement over the extent and manner of the proposed changes.
A division bench of the Indore Bench, comprising Justices Subodh Abhyankar and Jai Kumar Pillai, disposed of the appeals after the petitioners informed the court that an agreement had been reached with the civic authorities regarding the removal of the portion of the mosque that was coming in the way of the proposed road project.
The court also made it clear that the assurances given by the Ujjain Municipal Corporation and the interim notice issued in connection with the Shahi Masjid case would remain binding on the civic body.
According to the details placed before the court, the agreement provides for removal of only about three feet of the mosque structure, instead of a substantially larger portion that had earlier been proposed by the administration. The minaret portion affected by the road-widening plan will be relocated within the mosque complex.
The civic authorities have also assured the Muslim side that alternative shops would be provided in place of shops on the ground floor of the mosque complex that are affected by the road-widening work.
Advocate Kuldeep Pathak, representing one of the Muslim parties, said the High Court disposed of the writ appeal on the basis of the agreement reached between the Ujjain civic body and the committee managing the Shahi Masjid. He said the court directed the parties to abide by the terms agreed upon.
Pathak said the administration had initially proposed removal of around 9.5 feet of the mosque, but negotiations resulted in the affected portion being reduced to approximately three feet. He added that the relocation of the minaret and provision of alternative shops formed part of the arrangement.
During the hearing, the lawyer appearing for the Ujjain Municipal Corporation did not describe the arrangement as a formal “settlement”. He told the court that the appellants had agreed on Sunday to remove the portions obstructing the proposed road construction themselves and that work had begun on Monday morning.
The civic body also informed the court that the road-widening project is part of preparations for the 2028 Simhastha Kumbh Mela and that work is affecting more than 80 religious structures, the majority of them temples. The government told the court that less than 10 per cent of the Shahi Masjid would be affected by the road-widening exercise.
The court was also shown videos submitted by the state government in support of its submissions.
The agreement came against the backdrop of protests in Ujjain over the proposed removal of the mosque portion. Earlier on Monday, police used tear gas to disperse a crowd protesting the proposed demolition of the around 100-year-old mosque. Several people were arrested, while 15 others were detained. A case was also registered against seven people, including some social media influencers, over alleged inflammatory statements and incitement.
The Shahi Masjid issue is part of a much larger road-widening exercise being undertaken in Ujjain ahead of the 2028 Simhastha. According to the information placed before the court, around 272 structures, including religious sites, are affected by the broader project, for which the state government has sanctioned approximately Rs 9.8 crore.
With the High Court disposing of the appeals on the basis of the agreement, the immediate dispute over the extent of the Shahi Masjid’s removal has been addressed through the arrangement between the mosque management and the municipal authorities.