Daijiworld Media Network – Dharwad (SP)

Dharwad, Jan 14: The appeal preferred by Anjuman Islam organization against the judgment of Karnataka High Court over the ownership of the controversial Idgah Maidan Hubli, was rejected by a division bench of Supreme Court on Wednesday January 13. With this, the only right vested with this organization is to use the Maidan for performing the namaaz by the Mulsim brethren twice a year. It is also faced with the compulsion of removing some structures it has built on this piece of land over which, controversies have been raging since long.

The two-member bench of the Supreme Court opined that Anjuman Islam does not hold any right over the Maidan, other than using it for performing namaaz twice a year as per a 999-year lease executed in its favour by the local municipality in the year 1921. Even after the organization was permitted to withdraw its appeal, its advocates refused, after which, the judges pronounced the verdict. The efforts of the Anjuman Islam to drag on the case by arguing that the Maidan belongs to it, also did not find favour with the bench.

Local MP, Prahlad Joshy, witnessed the hearing at the Supreme Court on Wednesday. Joshy has been closely associated with the case, and was happy that the case was decided as desired by him.  He has asked the people from all the communities to obey the Supreme Court verdict peacefully and harmoniously. State Chief Minister, B S Yeddyurappa, also requested the people to peacefully make use of the ground, in tune with the Supreme Court directives.

Anjuman has been claiming that the Maidan belongs to it, as it holds a 999-year lease on the ground, and has been resisting attempts by various groups to use the Maidan for purposes like hoisting of the national flag. The ground was witness to bloodshed in 1994, when fire brand Hindutva exponent, Uma Bharti, tried to hoist the flag there, giving rise to communal clashes and firing, in which four people lost their lives. The first case relating to the Maidan had been filed by a few individuals from the city in 1972, praying the court for an order to declare the Maidan as a public property, after which the lower court had directed Anjuman to demolish the buildings it had constructed on the impugned land. Anjuman then approached the High Court and lost the case there too.  It had filed an appeal in the Supreme Court in the year 1995.