The Supreme Court is set to hear a petition on Friday that challenges a district court’s November 19 order, which directed a survey of a Mughal-era mosque in Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh. The petition, filed by the Committee of Management, Shahi Jama Masjid, Sambhal, seeks an ex-parte stay on the operation of the district court’s order.

According to the cause list published on the Supreme Court’s website for November 29, a bench led by Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna will hear the plea. The petition contends that the survey, ordered by a civil judge, was conducted hastily and could lead to communal tensions, jeopardizing the secular fabric of the country.

The petitioners argue that the survey was carried out in an alarmingly swift manner, with a second survey conducted barely six hours after the initial one. “The hot haste in which the survey was allowed and conducted all within a day, and suddenly another survey was conducted with a notice of barely six hours, has given rise to widespread communal tensions,” the petition reads. It further asserts that this could “threaten the secular and democratic fabric of the nation.”

Tensions have been escalating in Sambhal ever since the court-ordered survey of the Shahi Jama Masjid on November 19. The survey followed claims that a Harihar temple once stood at the site where the mosque now stands. These claims have stirred up emotions and sparked debates about the historical significance of the site.

The situation took a violent turn on November 24, when protests erupted near the mosque, leading to clashes between demonstrators and security forces. The violence escalated into stone pelting and arson, resulting in the deaths of four people and leaving several others injured. The unrest highlighted the growing friction between different community groups in the region, further intensifying the controversy surrounding the mosque and its historical claims.

The petition challenging the survey order comes at a time when communal tensions are at a peak in the region. The outcome of the Supreme Court’s hearing on Friday could have significant implications for the ongoing dispute over the Shahi Jama Masjid and its historical significance. It remains to be seen how the court will address the concerns raised in the petition, especially with the backdrop of recent violence in Sambhal.