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Madhya Pradesh High Court OKs Shahi Masjid Demolition for Road Widening

By Drooid · Sep 28, 2026, 4:15 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

High Court permits demolition

Madhya Pradesh High Court dismissed appeals, permitting demolition of part of Ujjain’s Shahi Masjid.
The demolition supports a road-widening project for the 2028 Simhastha Kumbh pilgrimage.
The plan widens a 900-metre stretch to 15 metres, affecting 272 structures.
Police deployed over 2,500 officers and used tear gas during the demolition.
Chief Minister Mohan Yadav began removing his ancestral home with a pickaxe to set an example.

Summary

Municipality Offers Compensation

The mosque’s Waqf registration underpins the legal challenge over road-widening.
A 1925 Town Improvement Trust letter recorded the mosque’s existence, directing preservation during land acquisition.
Petitioners argued the road-widening could follow an alternative alignment that would spare the mosque.
Archaeology expert Dr Shubham Kevaliya said no public evidence supports the claimed 1390 construction date.
The municipal corporation offered compensation via Floor Area Ratio and Transferable Development Rights instead of cash.

History

Historical Context

On 6 December 1992, a VHP-BJP rally of about 150,000 people demolished the 16th-century Babri Masjid in Ayodhya, sparking riots that killed roughly 2,000 people. Decades later, in 2024 the Madhya Pradesh government razed Ujjain’s Shahi Masjid for a 15-metre road widening, reviving the same heritage-versus-development and political clash that first erupted in Ayodhya.

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High Court permits demolition

Madhya Pradesh High Court dismissed appeals, permitting demolition of part of Ujjain’s Shahi Masjid.
The demolition supports a road-widening project for the 2028 Simhastha Kumbh pilgrimage.
The plan widens a 900-metre stretch to 15 metres, affecting 272 structures.
Police deployed over 2,500 officers and used tear gas during the demolition.
Chief Minister Mohan Yadav began removing his ancestral home with a pickaxe to set an example.

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