Saharanpur mosque demolition: Allahabad HC seeks UP govt's reply, stays ₹6.41 crore recovery damages — what's the case?
A mosque located within Saharanpur district collectorate office premises was demolished on September 5 amid heavy police deployment.
The Allahabad High Court has directed the Uttar Pradesh government to file a reply within three weeks regarding a petition against the eviction and demolition of a mosque in Saharanpur. The high court also stayed the recovery of a ₹6.41 crore fine imposed by the city magistrate on the mosque management. The petition challenges a direction given by the city magistrate on July 16, 2026, and an order of a district judge on September 2, 2026, that ordered the demolition of the mosque.
The petition was filed by the Uttar Pradesh government through the Saharanpur district magistrate and the mosque's manager/maulavi. The city magistrate had directed the demolition of the 315-square-metre mosque and imposed a fine of ₹6.41 crore on its management under the Uttar Pradesh Public Premises (Eviction and Unauthorised Occupants) Act 1972.
The petition argues that the land was being used as waqf by the users of the mosque and that the original owners were Yaqub Khan and Wahid Khan. The demolition triggered a political controversy, with opposition parties criticizing the BJP-led state government.
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