The Madras High Court on Tuesday permitted a mosque-cum-Madrasa at Mahalakshmi Nagar in Velampalayam, Tiruppur city, to function as usual until the disposal of an appeal preferred by it before the Housing and Urban Development Secretary against the Collector’s refusal to grant No Objection Certificate (NOC).
A Division Bench of Justices R. Mahadevan and Mohammed Shaffiq also directed the Housing Secretary to dispose of the statutory appeal on or before July 26 and communicate the decision to the mosque management as well as the Tamil Nadu Wakf Board within three days thereafter.
The orders were passed after the mosque as well as the Wakf board, represented by its counsel S. Haja Mohideen Gisthi, filed individual affidavits undertaking to abide by the decision to be taken by the Housing Secretary. The judges had insisted upon filing such affidavits to permit the mosque to function till the disposal of the appeal.
