Petition in Allahabad High Court seeking removal of Syed Ahmed Bukhari as Imam

LUCKNOW: The Allahabad High Court has given three weeks time to a petitioner to file the history of New Delhi's Jama Masjid after he sought a direction for quashing the appointment of Syed Ahmed Bukhari as Imam of the mosque.

The Lucknow bench comprising Justices V K Shukla and Aditya Nath Mittal gave the direction on a petition filed by lawyer Ashok Pandey on November 5, and set November 27 as the next date of hearing.

The lawyer alleged in his petition that the appointment of Imam of Jama Masjid is being done on hereditary pattern, which is illegal in a democratic country.

"This court is of firm opinion that much more relevant material is required in respect of history of Jama Masjid, New Delhi, and whether the mosque's incumbents, who have been holding the charge, have been subjected to any dispute or not in the past," the court said.

On the petitioner's request, the court gave three weeks time to him.