Himachal Pradesh Waqf Board on Friday presented in the district court an 18-year-old document that identified Latif Mohammad as the nominated president of the committee for the under-contention Sanjauli mosque.
The court had on Monday directed the Waqf Board to file an affidavit stating in what capacity Latif Mohammad offered to demolish the three unauthorised floors of the disputed mosque.
In response, the Waqf Board presented a 2006 document in which Latif Mohammad was nominated as president of the Sanjauli mosque committee, the All Himachal Muslim Organisation (AHMO) counsel Vishva Bhushan said.
According to the Waqf Act, the tenure of committee members is five years, he said.
Talking to the media, Latif stated, "The Waqf Board in its reply said I have been the president of the Sanjauli Mosque committee since 2006 and the Municipal Commissioners Court had also given notice to me in the capacity of president in September."
There have been calls from a section of locals for the demolition of the Sanjauli mosque.
On September 11, ten people were injured during a protest against an allegedly illegal portion of the mosque.
A day later, Latif Mohammad, and others, offered to demolish the mosque's three "unauthorised" floors and sought the permission of the Municipal Commissioner.
The Municipal Commissioner's Court on October 5 allowed the demolition and gave two months to complete the work, following which the AHMO filed an appeal against the order in the district court. The next hearing is scheduled for November 30.
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