New Delhi: The Allahabad high court on Wednesday (March 12) finally directed a reluctant Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to whitewash the centrally-projected Mughal-era Shahi Jama Masjid in Sambhal for the Islamic holy month of Ramzan, as has been the tradition. The ASI had been obstructing the attempts of the caretakers of the mosque to whitewash the mosque for Ramzan but failed to provide a justifiable reason when pulled up in court.
The court’s directive brought a sense of relief to the management committee of the Sambhal mosque which had been struggling to get the exterior of the structure painted and lit-up for Ramzan, which started on March 2.
The costs of the whitewashing would be borne by the mosque’s management committee.
“This court finds that no suitable reply has been given by the ASI for denying to proceed for whitewashing of exterior part of the alleged masjid during the holy month of Ramzan. This court directs the ASI to carry out the whitewashing work in all those parts of the monuments, in which flaking is seen and whitewashing is required,” Justice Rohit Ranjan Agarwal said.
Also read: How Nehru’s 1924 Report on Sambhal Violence Was Distorted by Adityanath
The ASI had, through an inspection report and an affidavit, opined that the mosque did not need whitewashing. The ASI in its latest affidavit submitted in court said that the managing committee of the mosque had been doing whitewashing and painting of the exterior parts of the monuments for several years and this had resulted in the “addition of many layers of whitewash and paint.” The ASI also said that the walls of the monument had already been damaged by heavy nails previously used for hanging decorative lights.
The ASI, however, sidestepped the points where it had to explain why it was denying the whitewashing of the exterior part of the mosque, which photographs clearly showed, required a fresh coat of paint. Justice Agarwal took note of this and said, “ASI was required to file reply especially to the annexures filed by the Masjid Committee, wherein photographs of the exterior part of the disputed monuments was shown which requires whitewashing. No reply to the said facts has been given in the present affidavit filed today.”
The Jama Masjid in Sambhal, which the ASI has said is in ‘good condition’. Photo: By arrangement.
The court directed the ASI to undertake the whitewashing and complete it within a week. Justice Agarwal further said that while no extra lighting would be allowed on the walls, as it may cause damage to the monument, exterior lights in the shape of focus lights or LED lights may be used for brightening up the outer area of the mosque.
In its initial report, submitted in the court on February 27, the ASI had said that the mosque as a whole was in a “good condition” and concluded that it did not require a fresh coat of paint despite noting flaking of the paint on the exterior of the structure and “some signs of deterioration” at certain points.
The high court had ordered the inspection after the managing committee of the centrally-protected mosque approached it with a request to allow it to carry out maintenance, cleaning, white washing and lighting work in the masjid for Ramzan.
In its report, a copy of which is with The Wire, the ASI said that the managing committee of the mosque had in the past undertaken several works of repair and renovation resulting in “addition and alteration” of the historical structure. The floor of the monument has been completely replaced by tiles and stones. The interior of the mosque has been painted with thick layers of enamel paint of sharp colours like golden, red, green and yellow concealing the original surface of the monument, the ASI report said.
Also read: ASI Says Sambhal Mosque in ‘Good Condition’, Doesn’t Need Fresh Paint; Photos Show Otherwise
The masjid committee in a reply to the ASI’s report, pointed out that it did not make any prayer for repair work in the application in the first place. The mosque only prayed for decorative lights, more lighting and whitewashing.
“The ASI report tried to divert the simple issue by complicating it towards repair work,” the mosque committee said, adding that it “appears to have been done under outsider’s influence” including the officers of district administration who were present at the time of the ASI’s inspection on February 27 in an unauthorised manner.
The ASI report did not address the issue of whitewashing, lights and installation of decorative lights. “The entire report is mainly troubled about the repairing work and had deliberately ignored, for some extraneous reasons, the whitewashing and lighting issue with ulterior motive,” the committee said.
The mosque committee had only sought that the outside walls, domes and minarets from all corners of the mosque be whitewashed and cleaned as was being done all these years prior to Ramzan.
Shahi Jama Masjid in Sambhal (1789). Pencil and wash drawing, 29.7 x 48.8 cm. British Library, London. Photo: Thomas Daniell, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
The mosque committee said that the enamel painting in the interior of the mosque and repair of the floor was done to keep it safe and preserved for years to come. “No alteration of any nature” was undertaken at any place in the basic structure, the mosque committee said in the high court.
The managing committee of the mosque raised several objections to the ASI’s report.
In a written reply submitted in court, the mosque committee said that the allegation of undertaking several alterations and additions as stated in the report was a total “sham.” “It is a fake allegation by an authority which was entrusted to preserve the pious monument but failed to perform its own duties honestly and conscientiously in [the] last more than hundred years,” it said.
The mosque committee also said that ASI deliberately ignored the main and urgent concerns of the mosque, which were whitewashing, extra lights and installation of decorative lights. One-third of the month of Ramzan is already over.
“This is apparently a deliberate act of diluting the crucial and urgent issue,” the mosque committee said.
On March 10, ASI informed the court that though there was some flaking seen on the outer portion of the monument, the final call could only be taken after a proper survey was done with the help of the conservation and science wing of the ASI. The ASI reiterated its earlier position and said that there was no requirement for any whitewashing.
