2 min readUpdated: Mar 11, 2026 05:51 PM IST
A tehsildar court in Sambhal has imposed a penalty of Rs 6.94 crore on an imam and his brother for constructing a house, mosque and a dargah on gram sabha land, and directed them to vacate the plot.
The court observed that the family had been occupying the land in an unauthorised manner since 1972.
The order was passed on a report submitted by the area lekhpal (revenue official), which stated that the land measuring 0.1340 hectares at Saif Khan Sarai village is recorded in revenue records as property of the Gram Sabha.
The report claimed that Aftab Hussain, imam of Jama Masjid, encroached on the land by constructing permanent structures around 20 years ago, including a house, a mosque and a dargah.
“After hearing both parties, the court passed an order directing the respondents to vacate the land, which is recorded in revenue records as gram sabha property,” said Sambhal Tehsildar Dhirendra Singh.
He said the Rs 6.94-crore penalty was determined on the basis of the applicable circle rate of the area, calculated from 1972, the period from which their possession over the land was found to exist. The proceedings for eviction from the land and recovery of the imposed penalty will be initiated soon, the Tehsildar added.
Acting on the lekhpal’s report, proceedings were initiated and a notice was issued to Aftab Hussain on June 24 last year, Singh said. During the proceedings, a reply was filed stating that Aftab Hussain and Mehtab Hussain were jointly acting as mutawallis (caretakers) of the religious site and were in possession of the property, he added.
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The brothers submitted the mosque and shrine are registered as Waqf properties with the Uttar Pradesh Sunni Central Waqf Board, and have been recognised as such for a long time. An annual Urs (religious congregation) is held at the site every year, they stated.
They submitted that their father, Khursheed Hussain, earlier served as the mutawalli (caretaker) of the site, Singh said.
