No namaz by non-locals at Taj mosque

​New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed a plea challenging the Agra authority's order debarring non-residents of the city from offering Friday prayers at a mosque in the Taj Mahal complex.

A bench of Justices AK Sikri and Ashok Bhushan said that the Taj Mahal was one of the seven wonders of the world and people can offer their prayers at other mosques also.

The petition has challenged the January 24, 2018 order passed by the ADM (City) Agra which said that those who are not residents of Agra would not be allowed to enter the mosque situated at the Taj Mahal for offering customary prayers on Fridays on grounds of security.

Petitioner Syed Ibrahim Hussain Zaidi, president of Taj Mahal Masjid Management Committee, Agra, told the bench that several tourists visit Agra throughout the year and the order of ADM (Additional District Magistrate-City), Agra restraining them from offering their prayers at the mosque inside the Taj Mahal was illegal and arbitrary. 

The SC order also said that the district magistrate should be immediately informed in case any outsider tries to enter the mosque. The order issued by additional district magistrate (city) K P Singh also states that entry of ‘outsiders’ can adversely affect the security of the monument. 

It may mentioned here that in January, the Agra district administration ordered that people entering the premises of the Taj for offering prayers on Fridays will have to carry identity cards to prove that they are residents of Agra. The Taj Mahal remains closed for tourists on Fridays. 

The administration’s move came following complaints that “outsiders”, including Bangladeshis and non-Indians”, enter the Taj Mahal complex on Fridays on the pretext of offering 'namaz''.