Members of the mosque committee began dismantling the affected section themselves after talks involving the local administration and the city Qazi. District Collector Roshan Kumar Singh said the work was voluntary, while committee representative Fahim Sikandar said the community was cooperating with the widening project after efforts to preserve the entire structure failed to produce an agreement.
The development followed a tense confrontation on Monday, when a crowd opposing the removal gathered near the mosque and stones were thrown at police. Police used tear gas and force to disperse protesters. Superintendent of Police Pradeep Sharma said 15 people had been detained and cases registered as investigators examined CCTV footage, drone recordings and social-media activity.
The Madhya Pradesh High Court’s Indore bench subsequently disposed of appeals challenging the action after being informed that the mosque’s representatives and Ujjain Municipal Corporation had settled their dispute. The court said assurances given by the corporation would bind the civic authority and directed the parties to adhere to the arrangement.
A lawyer representing one of the Muslim parties, Kuldeep Pathak, said the administration had initially sought removal of about 9.5 feet of the structure but the settlement reduced the affected portion to about three feet. Earlier accounts from community representatives had indicated that the precise extent remained under discussion as dismantling began.
The dispute concerns the widening to 15 metres of the road between Kanthal Chouraha and Gopal Mandir, a route authorities say must accommodate substantially heavier pilgrim traffic during Simhastha 2028. The project forms part of the Ujjain Development Plan 2035 and requires removal or alteration of structures within the planned alignment.
Mosque representatives and residents had resisted the proposed demolition, arguing that the religious structure should be protected and alternatives considered. Imam Mohammad Ibrahim has said the mosque dates to 1390, making it 636 years old, although the claimed age has not been independently established through an archaeological finding cited in the court proceedings.
Large numbers of Muslims gathered at the mosque on Sunday and some remained overnight as negotiations continued. The city Qazi, Khalil Qureshi Rehman, later said the dispute had been resolved through mutual agreement and urged residents not to gather at the site or respond to rumours.
The controversy had already reached the High Court earlier in September. A single-judge bench rejected petitions against the municipal notices, finding that the widening was being undertaken under statutory authority and that the action could not be considered discriminatory merely because it affected a religious property.
The court recorded the corporation’s submission that portions of 10 temples and another mosque had already been removed along the same road and that action connected with the wider development programme had affected about 80 religious structures. It also noted that nearly all structures obstructing the approximately 1.5-km stretch had been removed, apart from the Shahi Masjid and a structure opposite it.
Petitioners had argued that removing portions of the mosque would violate constitutional protections and affect its prayer hall, minaret and associated religious space. The corporation maintained that widening was necessary to manage congestion and the movement of the large numbers of devotees expected for Simhastha.
The dispute also acquired a political dimension. AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi opposed the proposed removal and described the earlier gathering as a peaceful protest, while critics of the state government questioned why the road alignment could not be adjusted to protect the mosque. The administration has rejected suggestions of discriminatory treatment, pointing to removals affecting properties and religious structures belonging to different communities.
Authorities maintained a substantial security presence around the old-city area following Monday’s violence. Police said they were also scrutinising online material for alleged rumours and provocative posts, while the administration and religious leaders appealed for calm.
