Lucknow: The Lucknow bench of Allahabad High Court has refused to interfere in an eviction order passed by district administration in connection with an alleged 60 years old mosque constructed on a gram sabha land in Bakshi-ka-Talab (BKT) area. The bench, however, set aside the imposition of Rs 36,000 fine on the petitioners as they were found to have no role in the construction of the said mosque on the land in question which was registered as a barn.A single bench of Justice Alok Mathur passed the order on a petition filed by Shahban and others, who had challenged the orders passed by the tehsildar on Feb 28, 2025 and the additional district magistrate (judicial) on Oct 31, 2025, whereby eviction order was passed and appeal against it was also dismissed .Challenging both the above orders, the petitioners stated that the mosque was built approximately 60 years ago by the local Muslim community and that this was not a new encroachment. The petitioners also pleaded that they only go there to offer prayers and have no connection with the mosque’s management. Furthermore, the petitioners questioned the trial process, stating that they were not given the opportunity to cross-examine witnesses and as such the orders of tehsildar and ADM were not sustainable in the law.The state counsel opposed the pleas and argued that the land in khata No. 648, located in Asti village under the BKT tehsil, is recorded as a barn land in revenue records and is the property of gram sabha, but the said mosque has been constructed on this land by illegally occupying the land .After hearing the matter, the bench found that the land in question belonged to the gram sabha and the petitioners could not establish any legal right, ownership, or interest in it.
