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Sambhal mosque committee to Allahabad High Court: ASI’s claim of alterations is baseless
The committee filed an affidavit days after the ASI submitted an inspection report in the court, claiming “additions and alterations to the historical structure” when repair and renovation work was carried out in the 16th-century mosque.
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The committee also claimed that unauthorised individuals were present during the ASI's inspection and they might have influenced the team of officials, thus making the report “unreliable and liable for rejection”.The management committee of the Shahi Jama Masjid in Sambhal in a submission to the Allahabad High Court on Tuesday claimed that the Archaeological Survey of India’s allegations of unauthorised alterations to the mosque’s structure were “false and baseless”.
The committee filed an affidavit days after the ASI submitted an inspection report in the court, claiming “additions and alterations to the historical structure” when repair and renovation work was carried out in the 16th-century mosque.
The committee also claimed that unauthorised individuals were present during the ASI’s inspection and they might have influenced the team of officials, thus making the report “unreliable and liable for rejection”.
The inspection was conducted on February 27 on the High Court’s order on a petition filed by the management committee seeking permission for whitewash, additional lighting and installation of decorative lights on the mosque premises.
The ASI had submitted its report the next day.
The High Court then directed the ASI to undertake daily maintenance of the mosque, including cleaning, dust removal, and clearing vegetation growth in and around the premises.
The ASI in its inspection report had stated that the mosque’s interior has been coated with thick layers of enamel paint and there was no immediate need for repainting since it was in a good condition.
The agency Tuesday submitted that the cleaning work, as directed by the court, has already started.
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The High Court fixed March 10 as the next date of hearing.
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