A division bench of Justices Subodh Abhyankar and Jai Kumar Pillai on Monday recorded the settlement between the mosque’s authorised administrative committee and Ujjain Municipal Corporation, bringing the legal challenge to the road-widening action to an end. The court said assurances given by the corporation in its reply and the disputed notice would remain binding on the civic body.
The order came as protests over the removal of part of the mosque turned violent in Ujjain. Police said stones were thrown at personnel deployed near the site and tear gas was used to disperse the crowd. Six policemen were injured, while authorities maintained a large security presence around the mosque and adjoining areas.
The appeals arose from a September 9 order by a single judge dismissing two petitions that challenged municipal notices requiring removal of a portion of the mosque. The notices were issued as part of a project to widen the adjoining road to 15 metres ahead of the Simhastha religious gathering scheduled for 2028.
During Monday’s hearing, counsel for the appellants told the division bench that the dispute had already been settled with the Municipal Corporation but asked the court to formally record the arrangement, citing concern that commitments made by the civic authority might not be honoured. The bench disposed of the matter while expressly stating that the corporation would be bound by the assurances it had made.
The corporation told the court that the authorised mosque committee had been given an opportunity to remove the affected portion itself following the single-judge ruling. It also submitted that less than 10 per cent of the mosque’s total area was proposed to be removed and that more than 80 structures had already been affected by the wider road project, most of them temples.
District authorities have said only a limited section of the mosque falls within the alignment required for widening. The disputed portion has been described by the administration as measuring roughly nine feet by four feet. The action does not involve demolition of the entire mosque.
Tension had built around the site before Monday’s court hearing, with residents gathering at the mosque and objecting to the proposed removal. The confrontation intensified when the demolition work proceeded. Police alleged that members of the crowd pelted security personnel with stones, after which officers used tear gas and a cane charge to clear the area.
Authorities registered cases against people accused of stone-pelting and disturbing public order. Police said some of those booked were social-media influencers accused of spreading misinformation. Around 2,500 police personnel, including teams drawn from neighbouring districts, were deployed as officials sought to prevent further disturbances.
The controversy centres on the road-widening programme being undertaken in preparation for Simhastha 2028, when Ujjain is expected to handle a sharp increase in pilgrim traffic. The Shahi Masjid is among structures affected by the planned widening, which the Municipal Corporation says is necessary to improve movement along the route.
The original petitioners, two groups claiming responsibility for administering the mosque, had challenged municipal notices issued in August and a final notice dated September 1. They argued before the single judge that the property was registered as waqf property and objected to removal of parts of the prayer hall and associated structures.
The single bench rejected those petitions, clearing the way for the municipal action. The subsequent appeals focused on the same notices, but the settlement between the authorised mosque committee and the corporation changed the position before the division bench.
During the appeal hearing, the civic side also showed the judges videos which it said demonstrated that portions covered by the agreement were being removed pursuant to the settlement. The court did not set out the settlement’s full terms in its order, noting that the details were not before it.
