India: The Supreme Court today directed authorities to remove a mosque from the premises of the Allahabad High Court within three months, telling the petitioners opposing the demolition that the structure stood on a terminated lease property and they can’t claim it as a matter of right to continue.
The petitioners, Waqf Masjid High Court and UP Sunni Central Waqf Board, had challenged a November 2017 Allahabad High Court order, which had given them three months to move the mosque out of the premises.
The top court dismissed their plea on Monday.
A bench of Justices MR Shah and CT Ravikumar, however, allowed the petitioners to make a representation to the Uttar Pradesh government for allotment of land nearby for the mosque.
It told the petitioners that the land was a lease property, which was terminated, and they can’t claim it as a matter of right to continue.
“We further grant three months time to demolish the construction in question by the petitioners and if the construction is not removed within a period of three months from today, it will be open for authorities including the high court to have them removed or demolished,” the bench said.
