Indore (Madhya Pradesh): The Indore bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court on Monday dismissed 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 Muslim side cited an agreement with the Ujjain Municipal Corporation (UMC).
A division bench of Justice Subodh Abhyankar and Justice Jai Kumar Pillai disposed of the appeals after the petitioners informed the court that an agreement had been reached with the civic body over removal of the portion obstructing the proposed road.
The court also held that the UMC’s assurances and interim notice in the matter would be binding on the civic body.
During the hearing, the UMC’s lawyer avoided describing the arrangement as a “settlement”, but said the appellants had agreed on Sunday to remove the obstructing portion themselves and had begun the work on Monday morning. He submitted that the appeals were therefore no longer maintainable.
The UMC’s lawyer told the court that removal of portions of more than 80 religious structures, most of them temples, had already begun as part of the road-widening work.
He said less than 10% of the Shahi Masjid would be affected and referred to a statement by the Ujjain city Qazi on the resolution of the issue. The state government also presented videos in support of its submissions, which the court viewed.
Lawyer Kuldeep Pathak, representing one of the Muslim parties, told PTI that the court disposed of the appeals on the basis of an agreement between the UMC and the committee managing the Shahi Masjid and directed both sides to abide by it.
Pathak said the administration had initially sought removal of around 9.5 feet of the mosque, while the agreement provided for removal of around three feet.
He said the affected portion of the minaret would be relocated within the building and that the UMC had assured that shops on the ground floor would be provided elsewhere.
The development follows protests in Ujjain over the proposed removal of the mosque portion. Police had used tear gas to disperse a crowd following alleged stone-pelting.
Several people were arrested or detained, and a case was registered against seven persons, including some social media influencers accused of sharing inflammatory statements.
The wider road-widening project is expected to affect 272 structures, including religious sites. The state government has sanctioned around Rs 9.8 crore for the project.
