All You Need To Know About Idgah-Krishna Janmabhoomi Case: 18 Suits, Disputed Deal & A Mosque On Sacred Ground

Lucknow: The decades-old Krishna Janmabhoomi-Shahi Idgah dispute took a fresh legal turn this week as the Allahabad High Court dismissed a plea seeking to change all future references to the "Shahi Idgah Mosque" in court documents to "disputed structure".

The request, made by advocate Mahendra Pratap Singh and backed by other petitioners, was turned down by Justice Ram Manohar Narayan Mishra, who orally observed the application was being dismissed “at this stage”.

This is just the latest episode in a wider and politically sensitive legal battle involving 18 clubbed suits currently being heard by the High Court.

#WATCH | दिल्ली: CPI सांसद डी. राजा ने इलाहाबाद उच्च न्यायालय द्वारा शाही ईदगाह मस्जिद को "विवादित संरचना" घोषित करने की मांग वाली याचिका खारिज करने पर कहा, "यह एक सकारात्मक फैसला है क्योंकि राजनीतिक दल के रूप में हम कह रहे हैं कि पूजा स्थल अधिनियम 1991 को कमजोर नहीं किया जाना… pic.twitter.com/BDUOROJUEh

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What Is The Case About?

The dispute centres around the Shahi Idgah Mosque in Mathura, which many claim was constructed during Mughal emperor Aurangzeb’s rule after allegedly demolishing a temple believed to mark the birthplace of Lord Krishna.

At the heart of the controversy is a 1968 compromise agreement between the Shri Krishna Janmasthan Seva Sansthan (temple management) and the Shahi Masjid Idgah Trust. The deal allowed both places of worship to operate in close proximity. However, several petitioners have challenged this agreement, calling it “fraudulent” and invalid under law.

They are now seeking various forms of legal relief, including the right to worship at the contested site and, in some cases, the removal of the mosque itself.

Courts, Commissioners And A Legal Tug-of-War

In May 2023, the Allahabad High Court transferred to itself all pending suits related to the dispute from the Mathura courts. This transfer order was challenged in the Supreme Court by the mosque committee and later by the UP Sunni Central Waqf Board.

In December 2023, the High Court allowed a petition to appoint a court commissioner to inspect the Shahi Idgah site. But in January 2024, the Supreme Court stepped in, staying the order, a stay that remains in effect as the legal battle continues to unfold.