In a state which is headed to polls likely in February-March next year, just over a year of legal battle led to the razing of a mosque claimed to be 150 years old inside the Saharanpur collectorate. Officials carried out the demolition on September 5. In a 26-page judgment, a copy of which Hindustan Times reviewed, District Judge Satendra Kumar affirmed the eviction order issued by the city magistrate’s court under the Uttar Pradesh Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorised Occupants) Act, 1972, on July 16. The court said the mosque failed to produce evidence regarding ownership and lawful possession of the property.
A year-long legal battle over collectorate land ended in demolition of a mosque claimed to be 150 years old, sparking political backlash and a fresh dispute over an ancient well found beneath. (Source) Eviction upheld, demolition follows
The demolition followed the district court’s verdict, which on September 2 dismissed an appeal filed by the mosque’s management committee against the city magistrate’s July order directing eviction. The operation was carried out under heavy police deployment, including five companies of armed police and central anti-riot forces. Officials said the demolition began around 7 am, though opposition leaders alleged it started earlier, around 5 am. A post office functioning from a portion of the premises was also removed, its belongings shifted elsewhere; officials said the post office had been paying rent for the space.
The September 2 judgment upheld eviction, it did not expressly order demolition of the structure. City magistrate Kuldeep Singh said his July order had directed “bedakhali,” or removal from the premises, and the building was consequently removed. The administration maintained it was enforcing the eviction order, while the mosque management argues eviction cannot automatically authorise demolition.
Ownership dispute at core of ruling
Judge Satendra Kumar held that the appellant, advocate mohd tanveer ahmad, failed to establish through reliable evidence his claims of ownership and lawful possession over the disputed 315 square metre portion of khasra number 539 in village Pathanpura. The court relied on revenue records dating to fasli years 1296, 1324 and 1359, which recorded the land as collectorate property, and rejected the mosque management’s electricity connection and municipal tax documents as proof of ownership. It also noted discrepancies in the waqf registration papers submitted, which cited two different waqf numbers, 451 and 452, for the same property, with no khasra or survey number linking the mosque to the waqf record.
The dispute traces back to a complaint filed by Bajrang Dal activist Vikas Tyagi in March 2025, alleging that government land inside the collectorate was being illegally occupied. Proceedings were subsequently initiated against Abdul Hamid, described in the case as manager and maulvi of the mosque, for allegedly occupying government property without authority.
Both sides contest the property’s history
The government’s case was that the building had originally been built as a rest house for litigants, and was later converted into a relig
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