Aligarh News Today: A controversy has started over Aligarh's Shahi Jama Masjid. Aligarh resident, Anti-Corruption Army President and RTI activist Pandit Keshav Dev has filed a suit regarding the mosque. In which he has claimed that Shahi Jama Masjid is built on public land. 

Pandit Keshav Dev had made the Mutawalli of Shahi Jama Masjid the second party in this case, but now a new dispute has come up regarding the ownership of this mosque. Mughal descendants have claimed ownership of Shahi Jama Masjid. In this regard, the matter has heated up due to a letter received from Hyderabad, the capital of Telangana. 
 
Prince Yakub Habibuddin Tusi, a descendant of Mughal ruler Bahadur Shah Zafar, has sent a letter to Aligarh's senior advocate Infrahim Hussain, calling himself a third party in the Shahi Jama Masjid case. In which he has presented documents related to the mosque and proof of himself being a descendant of the Mughals. 

'The mosque was built during the Mughal period'
It is being claimed that a letter has reached Aligarh. In this letter, a claim will be made through Ifrahim Hussain as a third party during the hearing of Shahi Jama Masjid on February 15. 

Senior advocate Ifrahim Hussain told ABP Live that Aligarh's Shahi Jama Masjid was built during the Mughal rule. The land on which the mosque was built belonged to the Mughals. He said that no dispute has come up since then till today regarding this mosque built during that time, but now some people are calling this mosque government land. 

Mughal descendants stake claim
Ifrahim Hussain said that during the reign of the Mughals, they used to have rights over this mosque, but when their descendants moved to Telangana, some people staked claim over this mosque to enhance their prestige. He said that the real descendant of the mosque, Prince, has sent the documents here through a letter. Through this, the real owners of the mosque and as descendants of the Mughals will stake claim over it on February 15. 

Senior advocate Ifrahim Hussain said that what bigger proof does one need than this that the graves of the martyrs who sacrificed their lives for India are also built in this mosque, there is no such place in the country where the graves of martyrs are built in a mosque.

What is the history of the mosque?
In the Mughal period, during the reign of Muhammad Shah (1719-1728), the governor of Kol, Sabit Khan, started the construction of this mosque in 1724. The mosque was completed in 1728, while the Jama Masjid also houses the graves of 73 martyrs of the 1857 revolution. The Archaeological Survey of India has also conducted a survey on this many years ago.

This is one of the oldest and grandest mosques of Aligarh, but now Prince Yakub Habibuddin Tusi, a descendant of Mughal ruler Bahadur Shah Zafar, has sent papers through a letter on February 15 to stake a claim as a third party. Which will be presented before the court on the next hearing.

Earlier, Pandit Keshav Dev had filed a case in the court of Senior Civil Judge. In this, he had claimed that Jama Masjid is an ancient Hindu temple. Pandit Keshav Dev has claimed that the mosque has been built on government land, in this case he has made Masjid Mutawwali M Sufiyan a defendant. Currently, the hearing in this case is to be held in the court on 15 February.