Supreme Court of India Supreme Court of India 
Still recovering from the communal tensions that quickly reached the highest court of the countrysmash bet, the residents Sambhal are hoping for a return to normalcy.
Ahead of Friday prayers and the anticipated submission of the Shahi Jama Masjid survey report by the ASI team appointed by the court, security remained heightened across Sambhal district.
The survey follows claims that a temple once stood at the site. Tensions in the district have been rising after violent clashes over the centuries-old mosque left four dead and dozens injured on Sunday.
Zafar Ali, the head of Jama Masjid, told news agency PTI, "I had also issued a video appeal for peace and order. Today, everyone came to offer namaz peacefully, and the prayers were completed without incident."
Sambhal Superintendent of Police Krishna Kumar Bishnoi informed journalists during a media briefing that 16 companies of the Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC), Rapid Action Force (RAF), and Rapid Reaction Force (RRF) had been deployed in the area ahead of Friday’s congregational prayer. The police also staged a flag march in the district.
Sambhal, Ajmer Dargah And Beyond: Growing Mosque Vs Temple Disputes Across India Meanwhile, the Supreme Court heard the case today and instructed the Sambhal trial court to halt proceedings in the case involving the mosque until the petition filed by the mosque committee, challenging the survey order, is heard by the Allahabad High Court.
The apex court also ordered that the report prepared by the advocate commissioner, who conducted the mosque survey, be sealed and not opened for now. A bench comprising Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar was hearing the petition filed by the Sambhal Shahi Jama Masjid Committee, challenging the trial court’s November 19 order.
The bench also asked the mosque panel lawyer, Senior Advocate Huzefa Ahmadi, the proper procedure would be to first approach the high court to challenge the trial court’s order, rather than seeking a direct review by the Supreme Court. “We have some reservations against the order, but still you have to approach the appropriate forum,” he said.
Advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain, representing the respondents, informed the court that the next trial court hearing is scheduled for January 8, 2025. The Court explicitly ordered that no further action be taken by the trial court until the next hearing date of January 8, 2025.
Also Read | Another Mosque, Another TempleThe mosque committee expressed concern over the “hot haste” with which the survey was conducted, which led to widespread apprehension among local residents that prompted them to leave their homes. The committee also argued that the suit was barred by the Places of Worship Act and criticised the trial court for passing the ex-parte order without hearing the mosque’s side of the case.
In addition, the petitioner emphasised that the mosque is an ancient monument protected by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).
On November 19, the Civil Judge (Senior Division) of Sambhal had passed an ex-parte order allowing an advocate commissioner to conduct a survey of the mosque. The plaintiffs in the case argued that the Shahi Jama Masjid in Chandausi was built by Mughal emperor Babar in 1526 after demolishing an existing temple.
The order was passed at 5 p.m. and had to be implemented within a week. But in an unexplained hurry, the district administration, along with the court commissioner, swung into action and reached the site for the survey—allegedly without taking the parties concerned into confidence and holding a peace committee meeting. The first round of the survey went peacefully.
Also Read | For Sambhal's Muslims, A Mosque 'Survey' Leaves Fear And Anguish In Its Wake
When the court commissioner, along with police officials, went for the second round of the survey on November 25, violence erupted. A mob, chanting slogans, accompanied the petitioner’s lawyer, Vishnu Shankar Jain. A rumour somehow spread that excavations inside the mosque had begun, and it led to violence. Five young men were killed in the confrontation.
In response to the violencesmash bet, Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel has established a three-member Judicial Inquiry Commission headed by retired Justice Devendra Kumar Arora of the Allahabad High Court. The commission has been tasked with conducting an investigation to ensure transparency and accountability.