RTI activist in Aligarh, Pandit Keshav Dev Gautam, says Jama Masjid is built on land that used to be Buddhist, Jain and Hindu temples. He says his RTI requests to government places like the Aligarh Municipal Corporation show this. He says records show the mosque was built in the 1700s but the RTI replies say it was built without permission on public land.
The case is now in Aligarh Civil Court, with Judge Gajendra Singh setting a hearing date for February 15. Gautam claims the Aligarh Municipal Corporation info means the mosque management should be illegal because they built on public land without permission.
Gautam wants the government to take over the mosque land. Jama Masjid is in a muslim-heavy area called Upper Kot in the old city. He came to these claims after checking the RTI replies against other old documents and info.