The Allahabad High Court has stayed trial court proceedings in the Sambhal Jama Masjid case until February 25, following a dispute over the mosque’s origins, claimed by some activists to be a Hindu temple. The case involves a survey order and subsequent violence during its execution.

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• Allahabad HC stayed Sambhal trial court proceedings on January 8 till February 25.
• The case revolves around claims by Hindu activists that the mosque was originally a Kalki temple from the Mughal era.
• A Sambhal court ordered a survey of the mosque on November 19, triggering tension.
• A survey team led by an advocate commissioner conducted initial inspections but faced resistance.
• Violence erupted on November 24 during a second survey attempt; 4 Muslim men died, several police injured.
• Families of the deceased alleged police firing; authorities denied the charges.
• The UP government ordered a judicial probe on November 28, led by retired HC judge Devendra Kumar Arora.
• The Supreme Court, on December 12, barred courts from ordering surveys of religious places under the Places of Worship Act, 1991.
• The HC has sought responses from the state, Union governments, ASI, and the district magistrate.
• The mosque’s managing committee has filed a civil revision against the survey order.