Ujjain Shahi Masjid row ends as Muslim side agrees to road-widening plan

Madhya Pradesh high court disposed of appeals regarding Shahi Masjid demolition in Ujjain.

An agreement was reached between the Muslim side and Ujjain Municipal Corporation for road widening.

The agreement involves removing approximately 3 feet of the mosque, relocating the minaret, and providing alternative shops.

The road widening is for the Simhastha Kumbh Mela 2028, affecting over 80 religious sites, mostly temples. The resolution follows earlier protests and arrests related to the proposed demolition.

The Madhya Pradesh high court on Monday disposed of two writ appeals regarding the removal of portions of Ujjain's historic Shahi Masjid to facilitate road widening for the Simhastha Kumbh Mela 2028 after the Muslim side reached an agreement with the civic authorities.

The Indore bench of Justices Subodh Abhyankar and Jai Kumar Pillai disposed of the petitioners' separate appeals after they stated that a settlement had been reached between them and the Ujjain Municipal Corporation regarding the removal of a portion of the mosque.

It also ruled that the Ujjain Municipal Corporation's assurances and interim notice in the Shahi Masjid case would be binding on the civic body.

Agreement Reached On Mosque Demolition

A lawyer for the Ujjain Municipal Corporation avoided using the word "settlement" during the hearing, but stated that the appellants had agreed on Sunday to remove the portions obstructing the proposed road construction themselves, and had begun doing so on Monday morning.

Under these circumstances, the suit filed by the Muslim side through a writ appeal is no longer maintainable, the lawyer stated.

He informed the court that the process of demolishing more than 80 religious sites, most of which are temples, has already begun to widen the road in Ujjain ahead of the Simhastha Kumbh Mela.

"Less than 10 per cent of the Shahi Mosque will be affected by the road-widening work," he said, adding that the Ujjain city Qazi has also issued a statement to the media regarding the resolution of the matter.

The state government also presented videos to the court in support of its claims, which the court viewed during the hearing.

Details Of The Settlement

Talking to IWP after the hearing, Kuldeep Pathak, the lawyer representing one of the Muslim parties, said the High Court had disposed of the Muslim side's writ appeal based on an agreement between the Ujjain civic body and a committee responsible for the management of the Shahi Mosque, and directed both parties to abide by the agreement.

He claimed that the Ujjain administration had sought to demolish approximately 9.5 feet of the Shahi Mosque for road widening, but under the agreement, a deal was reached to remove around 3 feet.

He also said that the mosque's minaret portion would be relocated within the building, and the civic body had assured to provide shops elsewhere in place of the shops on the ground floor of the mosque complex.

Broader Context And Prior Protests

Earlier in the day, tensions flared in Ujjain as police lobbed tear gas shells to disperse a crowd that hurled stones while protesting the proposed demolition at the 100-year-old mosque. 

Some people were arrested and 15 others detained, while a case has been registered against seven persons, including some social media influencers who shared inflammatory statements and incited people.

The road-widening exercise is part of a larger project in Ujjain, under which 272 structures, including religious sites, are set to be affected. The state government has sanctioned around Rs 9.8 crore for the project.