Malali Mosque case: Lawyer for Mosque presents arguments

Mangaluru: The hearing on the VHP vs Malali Masjid dispute case continued on  Friday at the Third Additional Civil Court in Mangaluru.

In his arguments, the lawyer for the Malali Mosque, Advocate M P Shenoy, told the court that there was no need for proving that the existing structure was a mosque or not. As per government Waqf records, the existence of a Mosque has been registered, he argued.

The mosque, which is a public place of worship for Islam, comes under the definition of ‘Waqf’ as defined by the Waqf Act,1995, he said.

The Union government has to issue a gazette notification to identify a place as an ‘Ancient Monument’, he said and added that no such notification has been issued about Malali Mosque so far.

Further, Shenoy reasoned that the civil court lacked jurisdiction to decide whether a place is a monument or not and pleaded with the court to dismiss the case.

After listening to the arguments, the court adjourned the hearing for June 14.