Prayagraj : The Allahabad high court on Friday asked the Uttar Pradesh govt to file a counter affidavit within three weeks on a writ petition against the demolition of a mosque on the collectorate premises in Saharanpur on Sept 5.
The court also stayed the recovery of damages of Rs 6.4 crore on the mosque management committee of Saharanpur for unlawful occupation and use of the premises. Justice Rohit Ranjan Agarwal passed the order in a petition filed by Mohammed Tanveer Ahmad, who challenged the order passed by the Saharanpur city magistrate on July 16, and the order of the Saharanpur district judge, dated Sept 2, which upheld the city magistrate’s decision of eviction and imposition of damages of Rs 6.41 crore. However, the district judge dismissed the appeal on Sept 2, upholding the demolition order.
The mosque management filed an appeal against the magistrate’s order before the district court.