LUCKNOW: The Allahabad High Court on Wednesday dismissed the recall plea moved by the Shahi Eidgah Mosque management committee, challenging the High Court’s earlier order, dated January 11, 2024, which directed the consolidation of all suits filed in connection with the Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi-Shahi Eidgah dispute in Mathura.Justice Mayank Kumar Jain dismissed the mosque committee’s plea, thus allowing the consolidation of the 15 petitions filed by various Hindu parties regarding the Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi issue.Speaking to the media after the verdict, Saurabh Tiwari, the advocate representing the Hindu side, hailed it as a victory for the Hindu plaintiffs. He expressed hope that the proceedings would now move forward without further delays. “The recall application was merely an obstruction by the Muslim side to delay the case. The High Court’s decision is in the interest of both parties,” said Tiwari, adding that the next hearing is scheduled for November 6.The High Court had originally passed the consolidation order in January 2024, following a plea by the Hindu side under Order IV-A of the Civil Procedure Code (CPC). The order aimed to streamline the cases, as all the petitions filed by the Hindu plaintiffs shared a common goal: the removal of the Shahi Eidgah Mosque from the 13.37-acre premises it shares with the Katra Keshav Dev Temple in Mathura. Some of the petitions also sought possession of the Shahi Eidgah land and the demolition of the mosque structure located there.The High Court had passed the consolidation order following the submissions by senior Supreme Court lawyer Vishnu Shankar Jain, who representing the Hindu plaintiffs, made the court know that after the original suit filed in the court of Civil Judge (Senior Division), Mathura on September 25, 2020, various other suits of similar nature related to reclamation the 13.37-acre of Katra Keshav Dev premises and removal of mosque were filed.Before issuing the consolidation order, the High Court had heard the Sunni Central Waqf Board, the Shahi Eidgah Mosque management committee, and other defendants, who had expressed no objections to the consolidation of the suits at that time. However, later, the mosque management committee approached the Supreme Court, seeking to overturn the consolidation order. In March this year, the Supreme Court granted the mosque committee the liberty to pursue its recall application in the High Court.
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