Budaun (UP), Dec 10 (PTI) The hearing in the Jama Masjid Shamsi versus Neelkanth temple case here could not be held on Tuesday due to the death of a lawyer of the court.
The matter will now come up for hearing on December 17, said advocate Asrar Ahmed, representing the Shamsi Shahi Jama Masjid Intezamia Committee and the Waqf Board.
On December 3, Civil Judge (Senior Division) Amit Kumar Singh asked the Muslim side to complete their arguments by December 10.
The matter started in 2022 when Mukesh Patel, the then convenor of Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha, claimed that the Neelkanth Mahadev temple existed at the mosque site.
The case came into the limelight after the November 24 violence in the neighbouring Sambhal district during a protest against a court-ordered survey of a mosque which the petitioners claimed was built after destroying an old temple.
The Jama Masjid Shamsi is built on an elevated area called Sotha Mohalla and is considered the highest structure in the town of Budaun.
It is also believed to be the third oldest existing and seventh largest mosque in the country with a capacity to accommodate 23,500 people.