Ujjain Shahi Masjid Row: Why Is The Community Removing A Portion For Road Widening?

The Shahi Masjid in Ujjain has become the focus of a dispute over road widening as the Madhya Pradesh government and local authorities prepare the city for Simhastha 2028. A portion of the mosque at Chatri Chowk falls within the proposed alignment of a 15-metre-wide road, prompting the Ujjain Municipal Corporation to issue notices for its removal. The move has faced opposition from the mosque committee and members of the local Muslim community, who have argued that the road should be widened through an alternative alignment.

The issue has since moved from a civic planning dispute into a legal and local law-and-order matter. The Madhya Pradesh High Court on September 9 dismissed two petitions challenging the proposed removal, holding that the Corporation had followed the required statutory procedure and that the road widening was in the larger public interest. On Monday, September 28, protests broke out at the site as members of the mosque community began removing the affected portion following an overnight agreement with the administration.

What Is The History Of The Shahi Masjid?

The Shahi Masjid is located at Chatri Chowk on Gopal Mandir Road in Ujjain and is registered as a Waqf property. The structure includes a prayer hall, a minaret and a dargah in the portion facing the road, according to the Madhya Pradesh High Court record.

Its exact age remains disputed. The mosque's imam and other community representatives have said it dates to 1390 and is around 636 years old, while other reports have described it as around a century old. The High Court recorded the mosque side's claim that the structure had existed for generations but did not establish the 1390 date as an undisputed historical fact.

The current dispute concerns a portion of the structure that falls within the proposed 15-metre road alignment. The mosque side told the High Court that the work would affect part of the prayer hall, a 120-foot minaret and the Mazhar Chowk Shahi, while the Corporation said the widening forms part of Ujjain's broader road and infrastructure work ahead of Simhastha 2028.

Why Is The Mosque Being Removed?

Qazi Khalik Ur Rehman said the portion being removed under the latest agreement is a three-foot section and does not affect the main prayer hall where Namaz is performed.

The immediate issue is not the demolition of the entire mosque. The municipal action concerns the portion of the mosque that falls within the proposed road alignment.

The Corporation issued notices on August 14, 25 and 27, followed by a final notice/order on September 1 under Section 305. The notices proposed removing the portion required for the planned 15-metre road. The mosque committees challenged the notices before the Madhya Pradesh High Court, arguing that the action was arbitrary and that the authorities had failed to adequately account for the mosque's status as a Waqf property.

Rehman, speaking about the dispute, said the matter had been before the court from the outset and that the latest action followed the High Court proceedings.

The petitioners also argued that there were alternatives. Their lawyers suggested using nearby vacant land or a garden and questioned whether the road could be widened without disturbing the mosque. The Corporation rejected that argument, and the High Court later found that the proposed alternatives were not viable in the circumstances.

The Corporation also told the court that the petitioners had been offered Floor Area Ratio (FAR) as compensation, with Transferable Development Rights (TDR) offered as an alternative.

In its September 9 order, the High Court noted that portions of 10 temples and one mosque had already been removed along the same road and that authorities in Ujjain had taken action against around 80 religious places. It held that the Corporation could not therefore be said to have acted arbitrarily or in violation of Article 14. It therefore rejected the argument that the mosque was being singled out.

The court also said the Corporation had issued notices and provided an opportunity to raise objections. It held that the action did not amount to a violation of Articles 14, 25, 26 or 300A of the Constitution and dismissed both petitions.

What Has Happened Since The High Court Order?

The September 9 judgment cleared the way for the Corporation to proceed with the proposed removal, although the mosque side subsequently approached a larger bench of the High Court. But the dispute did not end with the court order.

Over the weekend, members of the local Muslim community gathered at the mosque as the administration prepared to carry out the removal. The administration initially held back while police and local officials attempted to persuade people at the site to cooperate. A petition concerning the matter was also listed before the Madhya Pradesh High Court on September 28.

Asked whether the committee would take further legal action, Rehman said, “Whatever petitions we had to submit, we have already submitted. What more can we do? If we hadn't filed them yet, we would be trying to petition now—but everything has already been submitted.”

On Monday morning, the situation escalated as police and administrative officials were deployed at the site as the removal work continued. Reports said stones were thrown at police personnel and tear gas was used to disperse the crowd. A large police presence was deployed around the mosque as authorities sought to prevent the situation from spreading.

The immediate disagreement remains centred on the part of the mosque that falls within the proposed road alignment. Members of the mosque committee and local residents have questioned whether an alternative could be found, while the administration has maintained that the road widening is part of a larger infrastructure plan for Ujjain and is required ahead of Simhastha 2028.

The dispute therefore brings together three separate questions: the city's need to widen roads and manage large crowds, the status of an established place of worship within that road plan, and the legal limits on the authorities' power to alter or remove parts of religious structures for public infrastructure.

For now, the September 9 High Court ruling remains the key legal development, while the fresh proceedings and the events at the mosque on September 28 have added another layer to the dispute. The immediate issue is how the road-widening work will affect the portion of the mosque identified as obstructing the proposed alignment.