Supreme Court Issues Notice to Uttar Pradesh Authorities Over Bulldozing of Mosque
New Delhi, 17 February – (www.deccanlive.com): The Supreme Court has issued a notice to Uttar Pradesh officials responsible for demolishing part of a mosque in Kushinagar district, questioning why contempt of court proceedings should not be initiated against them. The notice was issued for allegedly violating a 13th November 2024 order, which had prohibited any illegal demolition actions without prior notice and hearing.
On February 9, 2025, under the leadership of Sub-Divisional Magistrate Yogeshwar Singh and Circle Officer Kundan Singh, a large number of police officers carried out a bulldozer operation at Madani Mosque. Authorities claimed that part of the mosque was illegally built on government land.
This issue first arose in 1999 when local leader Ram Bachan Singh filed a complaint, declaring the mosque’s construction illegal. In December 2023, the matter was revived, and the administration began an investigation. According to municipal authorities, three notices were sent to the mosque administration requesting legal documents, but the required documents were not provided, leading to the mosque being declared illegal.
The mosque committee challenged the district administration’s decision in the Allahabad High Court, which issued a stay order on the demolition. However, this stay order ended on February 8, 2025, and shortly after, the district administration demolished part of the mosque.
Now, the Supreme Court has asked the relevant authorities to explain why contempt of court proceedings should not be initiated against them. The court also ordered that no demolition actions be carried out until further notice.
