Special Correspondent:The demolition of a historic mosque inside the Saharanpur Collectorate complex in Uttar Pradesh has drawn sharp criticism from several quarters, with questions being raised over whether laws governing places of worship are being applied equally. 

The mosque was demolished by the district administration at around 5 am on Saturday amid heavy security deployment. The action followed a legal dispute over the structure and the land on which it stood.

Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind president Maulana Arshad Madani described the demolition as “extremely regrettable” and raised fundamental questions about equality before the law and protection of religious freedom.

“If the law is the same for everyone, why is there a double standard in its implementation?” Madani asked in a press release issued on Saturday. He said the Saharanpur incident should not be seen merely as a dispute involving one mosque, but as a larger question concerning constitutional rights and the rule of law.

Madani said the Constitution guarantees equality, freedom of religion and equal protection of the law to all citizens, and questioned why the administration’s actions could create an impression that different standards were being applied based on religious identity.

He referred to the Places of Worship Act, 1991, and the provisions concerning ‘waqf by user’ under the new Waqf law. He claimed that the mosque was registered with the Waqf Board under Registration No. 451.

According to Madani, land records relating to the property have historically carried the names of Yaqub Khan and Wahid Khan. He questioned why such records and other historical material should not be given due consideration in resolving the dispute.

The mosque committee, he said, had placed several documents before the court to support its claim that the mosque predated the present collectorate building. These allegedly included old municipal records, revenue entries and documents dating back to 1911.

Madani said the existence of a place of worship over generations should not be treated as a mere administrative matter when questions about its history and legal status are still being contested.

“If illegal occupation and encroachment are to be the sole criteria for taking action, then the same criteria must be applied equally to every religion and every section of society,” he said.

The Jamiat chief also questioned whether authorities were applying the same urgency and standards to religious structures belonging to different communities that exist on government land, roads and other public spaces across the country.