The Supreme Court has given the green light to the Ahmedabad city corporation to use a part of a 400-year-old mosque’s land for a road-widening project. The court stated that the project serves a larger public purpose and is not targeting any single community.
The case involves the Mancha Masjid in Ahmedabad. The city needs to widen a key road to ease heavy traffic, and a small, vacant portion of the mosque’s property is in the way. The mosque’s trust went to the Supreme Court to stop the demolition, arguing to protect their prayer hall.
However, the bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi refused to agree to the mosque’s lawyer’s persistent requests. Their decision was based on the clear assurance from the Ahmedabad municipal corporation, represented by Astha Mehta, who stated that the main mosque structure would not be harmed. She explained that only a vacant piece of land and part of an outdoor platform would be affected by the road widening project.
To support their case, they pointed out that a Hindu temple, along with several homes and shops, had already been demolished for the same road project, with many residents giving up their property by choice for the public’s benefit.
The Supreme Court bench agreed with the city, saying this was not an issue of religious freedom. The judges noted that since other structures, including a temple, were also removed, the action was fair. “A temple has been dismantled, and they did not claim any compensation,” the bench remarked.
The court said that the mosque’s managing board might be entitled to get compensation for the land, but only if they can legally prove that the property belongs to the Wakf board. For now, the city has been allowed to proceed with its plan to improve the road connecting the Kalupur railway station and the Ahmedabad Metro.
