The Gujarat High Court ordered the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) on Monday, not to carry out demolition work on any part of the historic Rani Sipri Masjid without consulting the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and the mosque management.

A division bench comprising Chief Justice K S Radhakrishnan and Justice Akil Kureshi also directed the AMC to maintain status quo in the case of Khajuri Masjid, pending a decision by the ASI on an application seeking declaration of the mosque as a monument under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act of 1958.

Both the mosques are 400 years old and were built during the same era. While Rani Sipri mosque is a protected monument, Khajuri mosque is not in the list of protected sites. However, the Sunni Awami Forum that manages the two mosques has approached the ASI to include Khajuri mosque in the list of protected monuments.

The forum, through its advocate Mukul Sinha, had moved the court in April 2007, following AMC’s bid to demolish parts of the two mosques, located opposite to each other near Astodia Gate in the old city.

The AMC wanted to demolish parts of the mosques for its road widening project. It had also marked the two buildings from where the demolition had to be done. This had led to tension among Muslims of Astodia area.