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The City Magistrate had declared the mosque illegal in July and subsequently ordered its demolition.
The Court of City Magistrate had declared the mosque illegal last month and issued an order for its demolition. (ANI)
A mosque located inside the collectorate office campus in Uttar Pradesh’s Saharanpur, which had been declared illegal, was demolished on Saturday morning. Heavy police deployment was put in place during the demolition to maintain law and order.
The action came a day after the District Judge’s court on September 4 rejected an appeal filed by the mosque management committee. The court upheld the earlier order declaring the religious structure an encroachment on government property.
The City Magistrate had declared the mosque illegal in July and subsequently ordered its demolition.
Saharanpur DIG Abhishek Singh said the mosque had been found to have been constructed illegally on government land. “There was a mosque here at the Saharanpur Collectorate. The court of the city magistrate found it to be illegally constructed on government land. The appeal [against the demolition] of the Mosque Committee was cancelled.”
He added, “We have taken all preventive steps to maintain law and order. We are following all legal procedures in taking this action.”
Iqra Hasan Allegedly Put Under House Arrest
Ahead of the demolition, Samajwadi Party Lok Sabha MP Iqra Hasan was allegedly placed under house arrest at her Kairana residence to prevent her from travelling to Saharanpur, news agency ANI reported.
A large police contingent remained stationed outside her residence overnight as authorities took measures to prevent any potential unrest.
Hasan said she had planned to travel to Saharanpur to meet officials over the Collectorate mosque issue and raise concerns of people from her constituency.
“A large police force was deployed at my Kairana residence overnight, and I was placed under house arrest to prevent me from going to Saharanpur. I intended to visit Saharanpur to meet officials regarding the Collectorate mosque issue and to voice the concerns of the people of my constituency, but I was not even allowed to leave my home,” Hasan was quoted as saying by ANI.
SP Questions Government Action
Samajwadi Party spokesperson Dharmendra Kumar Singh criticised the government while speaking to news agency PTI, saying the judiciary provides avenues for appeals against court orders.
“This is a government that, from the very first day, wants to run away from basic questions and create a narrative of this kind. There is a system in the Indian judiciary and the Constitution of India. The opportunity for justice extends through all the courts, up to the Supreme Court. And once the Supreme Court gives a judgment, it is final. So, what needs to be seen is whether they were allowed to appeal.”
“Everywhere, after an order is passed, there is a period for filing an appeal, one month or some other stipulated period. They have as many days as are allowed to file an appeal and, if there has been an error in the higher court’s order, get it corrected by the court above it. But this government continuously gets orders from the courts and immediately takes action in such a way that it creates hatred in society,” he added.
Samajwadi Party MP Awadhesh Prasad alleged that party MP Iqra Hasan, along with the local MLA and others, had been placed under house arrest. Calling it an “undemocratic move”, he said, “Iqra Hasan is an MP from our party, and the information received is that she, along with the local MLA and others, has been placed under house arrest.”
“This is her constitutional right, and the BJP is completely trampling upon this constitutional right. There is no greater threat to democracy than this… Regarding the step being taken: when an incident occurs, it is the responsibility of the public representative to visit the site, speak with the people, and resolve issues… Therefore, this is an undemocratic move by the government, and we condemn it,” he added.
‘Black Day’
Congress MP Imran Masood termed the action a “black day” for the people of Saharanpur and alleged that the Constitution was “torn to shreds” during the demolition.
“The mosque was demolished by surrounding the area from all sides, confining people to their homes. We will fight this battle within the legal framework… let no one think that by demolishing the mosque, they have accomplished some great feat… the actions you are initiating today against us, you will eventually turn against others… today is a black day for the people of Saharanpur. The people of Saharanpur should protest against this by wearing black armbands…”
#WATCH | Saharanpur: Demolition of illegal mosque in DM office complex begins after court upholds order.On this, Congress MP Imran Masood says, “Our people stayed awake all night long. We kept making continuous efforts to contact the officials. Despite providing all the… pic.twitter.com/prP1UdITiY
— ANI (@ANI) September 5, 2026
Saharanpur Collectorate Mosque Dispute
The mosque was declared an “unauthorised structure” in July, following which the city magistrate ordered its eviction within 30 days. The court also imposed a penalty of Rs 6.41 crore on the “illegal occupants” for the alleged ‘unauthorised occupation’ of 315 square metres of government land.
The order was issued under the Uttar Pradesh Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorised Occupants) Act, 1972.
Mutwali Tanveer Ahmed, a member of the masjid committee, had claimed that the mosque was around 150 years old.
Earlier, City Magistrate, Saharanpur, Kuldeep Singh told The Indian Express that proceedings began after the Revenue Department conducted an inquiry into a complaint filed by Vikas Tyagi. He had alleged that the mosque was built on government land within the Collectorate campus.
In March 2025, a revenue official (Lekhpal) filed a complaint against Abdul Hamid, the alleged manager and maulvi of the mosque, accusing him of unauthorised occupation of government property.
Notices were issued to the respondents in April 2025, following which objections were filed on June 11 of that year.
Quick Answers
Ask News18The mosque in Saharanpur’s Collectorate office campus was demolished because it was declared an illegal encroachment on government land. The City Magistrate had deemed it illegal in July 2026, and this decision was upheld by the District Judge’s court on September 4, 2026, after rejecting an appeal from the mosque management committee. The structure was found to be built on 315 square meters of government land without authorization.
Ask News18About the Author
Aanchal is the Sub-Editor at News18.com, with more than four years of experience in national and international news. My work involves covering breaking news, politics, current affairs and developments…Read More
Saharanpur, India, India
September 05, 2026, 12:50 IST
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