The Supreme Court has dismissed a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking a nationwide ban on the construction or naming of any mosque after Babur or in the name of “Babri Masjid”.
A bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta heard the plea on Friday, 20 February 2026, and declined to entertain it. The petitioner, appearing in person, argued that no mosque should be built or named after Babur, whom the counsel described as an “invader” who referred to Hindus as slaves.
The plea sought a broad direction restraining authorities across India from permitting the construction, establishment, or naming of any mosque or religious structure using the name “Babur”, “Babri Masjid”, or any derivative terms.
However, after the bench refused to entertain the matter, the petitioner withdrew the petition. The court accordingly dismissed the PIL as withdrawn.
The development comes after former Trinamool Congress member and Jan Unnayan Party chief Humayun Kabir announced plans to construct a replica of the Babri Masjid in West Bengal’s Murshidabad district. Kabir laid the foundation stone for the project in December 2025.
Notably, while allotting the Ram Mandir site to Hindus in the historic November 2019 judgement, the Supreme Court had asked the govt to allot land for construction of Babri Masjid demolished in 1992. According, the govt has already land, but the Muslim side is yet to build the mosque there.
