Holi and Friday prayers passed peacefully in Sambhal district of Uttar Pradesh amid tight security, officials said.
At several places, a large number of families offered prayers from their terrace or in the garden.
A lawyer representing the Hindu side in the ongoing dispute over the Sambhal Jama Masjid has defended the second survey of the mosque, claiming it was conducted on the orders of the advocate commissioner. He also dismissed claims that the survey was conducted in haste or without court orders.
The Committee of Management, Shahi Jama Masjid, moved the high court challenging the suit and the Sambhal court order which directed the survey through an advocate commissioner.
Kanpur Police solved a robbery case leading to the discovery of a large hawala network. Six people were arrested, and investigations are ongoing to uncover the full extent of the illegal financial activities.
Most devotees stayed indoors to offer 'namaz' as religious and festive gatherings remain prohibited in most part of the country.
Stones were allegedly pelted during a religious procession in Jharkhand's Hazaribag district, triggering tension in the area. The incident occurred near Jama Masjid Chowk around 11 pm on Tuesday when a Mangla procession was underway as part of the Ram Navami celebration. Police resorted to firing in the air to bring the situation under control. The exact reason for the stone-throwing is yet to be ascertained, but locals say a dispute arose between two groups over the playing of communal songs.
The Centre and the Wakf Board on Thursday submitted before the Delhi High Court that the ceremony by Jama Masjid Shahi Imam anointing his son as his deputy and successor has no legal sanctity.
Following reports of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's death, widespread protests erupted in Kashmir, with demonstrators expressing strong anti-US and anti-Israel sentiments.
The Act prohibits conversion of any place of worship and provides for the maintenance of the religious character of any place of worship as it existed on August 15, 1947.
Aazad's outfit had organised a march from Jama Masjid to Jantar Mantar on Friday against the new citizenship law, despite not having permission from police.
Civil judge (senior division) Vijay Gupta took up the matter on Friday and directed the Intezamia Committee managing the Shamsi Jama Masjid to present its side on September 15, when the court will next hear the matter.
Here are glimpses of how the festival was marked all across the country.
Days after violence erupted over a survey of a Mughal-era mosque in Sambhal, an imam of another mosque was fined Rs 2 lakh for allegedly using a loudspeaker at high volume. The incident occurred in the Anar Wali Masjid, prompting authorities to take action. The imam, identified as Tahzeeb, was fined and granted bail, with orders to refrain from similar conduct for six months. The incident comes amid ongoing tensions in Sambhal following the November 24 violence during a court-ordered survey of the Shahi Jama Masjid, which resulted in four deaths and several injuries. The incident has become a major political controversy, with Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra raising the issue in Parliament.
The Allahabad high court on Friday stayed the arrest of Samajwadi Party MP Ziaur Rahman Barq in connection with violence in Uttar Pradesh's Sambhal district during a survey of a Mughal-era mosque.
The Delhi High Court on Friday said the ceremony by Jama Masjid Shahi Imam Syed Ahmed Bukhari to annoint his son as his successor has no legal sanctity.
Commencing hearing on pleas challenging the constitutionality of the Places of Worship Act, 1991, the Supreme Court asked the Centre to reply to cross-pleas against or seeking implementation of statute.
Authorities have demolished a 128-year-old mosque in Assam's Dibrugarh to construct a drainage system for solving the waterlogging problem in the town, officials said on Thursday.
The toll in the clashes between police and protesters opposing a court-ordered survey of a Mughal-era mosque in Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh, rose to four following the death of one more injured person, officials said on Monday.
A four-member team from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) conducted a survey of the recently-discovered Shri Kartik Mahadev temple, five pilgrimage sites, and 19 wells in Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh, India. The survey followed the discovery of three damaged idols inside a well of the Bhasma Shankar temple, which was reopened after being shut for 46 years. The Shri Kartik Mahadev temple, also known as the Bhasma Shankar temple, was reopened on December 13 after authorities found the covered structure during an anti-encroachment drive. The temple houses an idol of Lord Hanuman and a Shivling and had remained locked since 1978. The district administration has requested carbon dating of the temple, including the well, from the ASI. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has restrained courts across India from entertaining new lawsuits or passing any orders in pending ones seeking to reclaim religious places, especially mosques and dargahs, until further notice. This action halts proceedings in approximately 18 lawsuits filed by Hindu parties seeking surveys to determine the original religious character of 10 mosques, including the Gyanvapi at Varanasi, the Shahi Idgah Masjid at Mathura, and the Shahi Jama Masjid at Sambhal, where four individuals died in clashes. The Supreme Court will examine the legality, scope, and boundaries of the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991, which prohibits the conversion of places of worship and ensures the preservation of their religious character as it existed on August 15, 1947.
With the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls scheduled for 2027, political experts are observing an increasing trend of temple-mosque disputes in the state, leading to heightened polarization. Recent bypolls saw the use of divisive slogans, and analysts believe this trend will intensify as the 2027 elections approach. The recent surge in claims about the existence of Hindu temples at the sites of mosques in various cities has fueled this polarization. The BJP-led government has been accused of promoting communal polarization, while opposition parties like the SP have criticized the ruling party's actions. The RSS chief has called for restraint in raising new temple-related disputes. Experts predict that communal polarization is likely to escalate in the coming days.
Weeks after violent clashes over a court-ordered survey of the Shahi Jama Masjid, the district administration in Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh, has launched a campaign against encroachments and illegal power theft in the area around the historic mosque. The administration began removing encroachments on Sunday morning, focusing on clearing drains outside houses and shops. The operation uncovered an illegal stockpile of domestic gas cylinders in a house, and the electricity department unearthed illegal connections in four mosques and a madrasa. The Bhasma Shankar temple, which was reopened by the district administration, has resumed regular worship.
Can ordinary citizens counter this backward march? Can peace activists ensure that the two communities retain their bonds? Do they have a choice, asks Jyoti Punwani.
A legend that sprang up after the Turkman Gate killing is that when the shrine is disturbed, the government will fall, as it happened with the Indira Gandhi government.
The advisory features a ban on taking or sharing photos and videos of the sacrifice rituals on social media platforms.
Three people were killed and scores of others, including around 20 security personnel and four personnel of the administration, were injured as protesters opposing a court-ordered survey of a Mughal-era mosque in Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh clashed with police on Sunday.
The announcement was made by chief priests of two prominent mosques in the capital, the Fatehpuri Masjid and the Jama Masjid on Tuesday.
Newly appointed Ambassador of the United States (US) to India Eric Garcetti visited Mumbai on Tuesday and met Reliance Industries Chairman and Managing Director Mukesh Ambani and Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan at the actor's residence 'Mannat', besides offering prayers at Mumbadevi Temple and Jama Masjid.
Congress Member of Parliament Mohammad Azharduddin on Friday courted arrest, along with his supporters in Moradabad, to protest against the ransacking of Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee chief Rita Bahuguna Joshi's residence in Lucknow. Azharuddin, after offering Friday's namaz at the Jama Masjid in Moradabad today afternoon, took out a march along with his supporters from Jama Masjid despite prohibitory orders.
Terror attacks over the past nine months -- the Jama Masjid firing, the Varansi blasts and 13/7 bombings -- have left security agencies and investigators clueless. The reason? Today, the threat is not from outfits like the Indian Mujahideen or the Students' Islamic Movement of India, but fringe elements that may strike anytime. Vicky Nanjappa reports
On Wednesday, a Delhi court had granted bail to Azad, who was accused of inciting people during the anti-CAA protest at Jama Masjid.
Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav is caught in an escalating spat between Delhi's Jama Masjid Shahi Imam Syed Ahmed Bukhari and Uttar Pradesh Minorities Minister Mohammad Azam Khan, both baying for each other.
The email purportedly sent by outlawed Indian Mujahideen owning up the attacks outside Jama Masjid and threatening more strikes ahead of Commonwealth Games has been traced to Mumbai, police said on Monday.
A Muslim cleric of the Jama Masjid in Bharatpur has been detained for interrogation in connection with the Jaipur serial blasts that killed 66 people, the police said on Monday. Mohamaad Ilyas, the Imam of the Jama Masjid, was detained on Friday and had been taken to Jaipur for further investigations by the Special Investigation Team (SIT), Circle Officer (City) Ratan Lal Bhargava said.
Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh, remains on high alert following violence that erupted on November 24 over a court-ordered survey of the Shahi Jama Masjid. Police have deployed heavy security ahead of Friday prayers and a court hearing on the survey, which is expected to be tense. The violence, which left four people dead and several injured, stemmed from claims that a Harihar temple previously stood at the site of the mosque.
The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation on Saturday said it has taken cognisance of a viral video showing people jumping over automated fare collection gates at the Jama Masjid metro station and was in touch with police to file a first information report (FIR).
Ammonium nitrate was used to trigger the car explosion near Jama Masjid which took place just hours after an attack there on a vehicle carrying foreign tourists, the police said on Monday. They said no RDX or detonator was used to carry out the explosion
A Delhi Police Constable and a rickshaw-puller tried to give a chase to the two motorbike-borne men who fired at foreign tourists outside Jama Masjid but could not catch them as they sped away on their two-wheelers.
A court slammed Delhi Police on Tuesday for failing to show any evidence against Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad, observing that people are out on the streets because things which should have been said inside Parliament were not said.
Subdued celebrations marked Eid-ul-Fitr in the country on Monday with people keeping away from mosques and celebrating the day in the confines of their homes.
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