The Allahabad High Court on Friday granted a stay on the arrest of Samajwadi Party MP Ziaur Rahman Barq in connection with the violence during a survey of the Shahi Jama Masjid, a Mughal-era mosque in Uttar Pradesh's Sambhal district. However, the court declined to quash the FIR filed against him.

The FIR, lodged at the Sambhal police station, accuses Barq of allegedly provoking violence during the court-ordered survey, an incident that claimed four lives.

A bench comprising Justices Rajiv Gupta and Azahar Husain Idrisi passed the order while hearing a petition filed by Barq. The court directed the MP to cooperate with the ongoing investigation and stated that the probe would proceed without interference.

Barq was represented by his counsel, Imran Ullah, while the state was represented by an additional government advocate.