The case of demolition of Ujjain Takiya Masjid has reached the Supreme Court. By filing a petition, the Madhya Pradesh High Court’s decision to uphold the demolition of Takiya Masjid has been challenged. The petition alleged that the Madhya Pradesh government demolished a 200-year-old mosque to increase the parking area for the Mahakal temple. The petitioners demand that a stay be imposed on Madhya Pradesh’s decision and that an impartial investigation be conducted into the demolition of the mosque.

According to the report of Bar and Bench, 13 people who offered namaz in the mosque have filed the petition. According to the petition, the mosque was duly notified as Waqf in the year 1985 and was being used as a mosque for 200 years, but in January it was declared illegal and arbitrarily demolished.

The petition said that the demolition is in violation of the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act 1991, the Waqf Act 1995 (now the Integrated Waqf Management, Empowerment, Efficiency and Development Act 1995) and the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act 2013.

It has been claimed in the petition that there are irregularities in the land acquisition process done by the government before the demolition of the mosque. The petitioners allege that the Madhya Pradesh government has given compensation to unauthorized occupants and encroachers in the area to create a false case of acquisition.

The petitioners said that they had approached the Madhya Pradesh High Court to get the mosque rebuilt, but the petition was rejected there, after which they have approached the Supreme Court. The petitioners have urged the court that as an interim relief, the High Court order should be stayed for the time being so that the state government cannot do any further construction at that place. The petitioners have also demanded an impartial investigation into the demolition.