Indian Muslims Fight to Save 600-Year-Old Mosque,High Court Decision Sparks Disappointment

A plan to partly demolish the historic Shahi Mosque in Ujjain, a historic city in Madhya Pradesh, India, has caused strong tension and conflict. The plan is part of a road widening project linked to the 2028 Simhastha Kumbh Mela. Local Muslims are resisting hard and fighting the plan in court. The administration is carrying out an eviction drive, and the High Court’s disappointing ruling has left the area in a tense calm.

The municipal corporation planned to break part of the Shahi Mosque to widen the road by 15 meters. From Sunday night, thousands of Muslim men and women gathered in the mosque compound and began to protest. Mr. Asaduddin Owaisi, head of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), called the protest a “Gandhian movement.” He strongly opposed the removal of religious buildings.

Tension reached its peak on Monday morning when officials tried to remove the protesters. At one point, the protesters and the police clashed again and again, and stones were thrown. This unfortunate event took place on the very day the Madhya Pradesh High Court was due to hear an appeal filed by the mosque authorities.

On Monday, however, a division bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court dismissed the petition outright. The court said the municipal corporation was following the legal process. It also said parts of 10 temples and one mosque on both sides of the road had already been removed under the same project.

Based on talks between the municipal corporation and the mosque management committee, the High Court closed the appeal without ordering a stay on the eviction. This has left local Muslims deeply disappointed. According to court records, the project will affect the mosque’s prayer hall, a 120 foot tall minaret and part of Mazar Chowk Shahi.