Supreme Court Shahi Idgah case 2025.
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On April 28, 2025, the Supreme Court of India upheld the Allahabad High Court’s decision to allow Hindu petitioners to amend their lawsuits in the Mathura Krishna Janmabhoomi–Shahi Idgah dispute. This amendment permits the inclusion of the Union Government and the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) as parties to the case.
Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna, leading the bench alongside Justice Sanjay Kumar, stated that the High Court’s order appeared “prima facie correct.” The Court emphasized that the Hindu plaintiffs’ amendments to their original plaints were permissible and that the inclusion of the Centre and ASI was justified. The Muslim side’s plea challenging this amendment was deemed “absolutely wrong” by the bench .
The Hindu petitioners argue that the Shahi Idgah mosque stands on land considered the birthplace of Lord Krishna and that a 1920 notification declared the site a protected monument under the Ancient Monuments Preservation Act, 1904. They contend that this status exempts the site from the Places of Worship Act, 1991, which maintains the religious character of places of worship as they existed on August 15, 1947 .
The Muslim side, representing the Shahi Masjid Idgah, opposed the amendments, arguing that they fundamentally altered the nature of the original suit and attempted to circumvent the defense based on the Places of Worship Act. They also contended that the High Court allowed the impleading of ASI and the Ministry of Home Affairs without any formal application under the Civil Procedure Code or establishing that they were necessary parties to the suit .
The Supreme Court has deferred the hearing on the mosque committee’s plea and tagged it with other pending cases related to the dispute. The Court has also granted the Muslim side additional time to file its written statement in response to the amended plaint .
This development is part of a broader legal battle involving over 15 suits concerning the Krishna Janmabhoomi–Shahi Idgah site, with overlapping and competing claims from different plaintiffs .
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