Ziaul Uloom Mosque faces bulldozer threat in Sitapur as UP authorities issue seven-day notice 

Millat Times Desk

08 October 2026 (Publish: 08:18 AM IST)

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The management of Ziaul Uloom Mosque in Tambaur, Sitapur, received a notice from the Revenue Department on Wednesday, October 7, directing it to remove alleged encroachments and constructions from disputed land within seven days. The notice concerns the mosque and permanent shops built on plot number 541 in village Ahmedabad, Pargana Tambaur.

The development has triggered concern among members of the local Muslim community, with questions being raised over the proposed action against a place of worship and the legal process surrounding the disputed property.

According to the notice, approximately 0.03180 hectares of the land is recorded as graveyard land. Revenue authorities have alleged that permanent shops and the mosque have been constructed on the property and have described the land as belonging to the government and Gram Sabha.

The notice was issued by Revenue Inspector Sundar Lal Rastogi of Laharpur Tehsil to Maulana Shahid Ali, the manager/mutawalli associated with Ziaul Uloom.

The administration has given the concerned party seven days from the receipt of the notice to remove what it describes as the encroachment and constructions and hand the land back to the Gram Sabha.

It further warns that if the alleged encroachment is not removed within the stipulated period, the administration may take action according to the applicable rules. The notice also states that expenses incurred by the administration in removing the alleged encroachment would be recovered from the concerned party as land revenue.

The matter is not entirely new. Allahabad High Court records show that Maulana Shahid Ali, Manager of Madarsa Ziaul Uloom, had approached the court in 2026 in connection with the same property, Gata No. 541. The petition challenged an order dated January 16, 2026, passed under Section 67 of the Uttar Pradesh Revenue Code, 2006, as well as a subsequent appellate order dated February 20, 2026.

The case was listed before the Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court as Writ-C No. 3339 of 2026, with Maulana Shahid Ali and Waqf Madarsa Ziaul Uloom as petitioners and the District Magistrate, Sitapur, among the respondents.

The existing litigation is significant because it indicates that the dispute over the property predates the latest notice and involves an ongoing legal contest concerning the status and possession of the land.

For the local Muslim community, the issue also carries a religious dimension. Ziaul Uloom is a place of worship, and any administrative action affecting the mosque is likely to have an impact beyond the underlying land dispute. At the same time, the Revenue Department’s allegations regarding the land remain allegations made by the authorities and are subject to the applicable legal process.

The immediate issue is whether the mosque management will comply with the seven-day direction, seek further legal relief, or pursue other remedies available under law. The case now sits at the intersection of land records, religious property, due process and the rights of a local Muslim community.