The Allahabad High Court, in a surprising turn of events, has decided to reconsider the hearing of a case concerning the Krishna Janmabhoomi-Shahi Eidgah dispute.

This decision came after the counsel for the Shahi Eidgah Masjid in Mathura, Mehmood Pracha, submitted a request to be heard in the case and asked for the court proceedings to be video recorded. Initially, the court had reserved its order on the application challenging the admissibility of suits related to the dispute.

Justice Mayank Kumar Jain has scheduled June 4 for the video conferencing hearing of Mehmood Pracha's arguments. Previously, on May 31, Tasneem Ahmadi completed her arguments representing the management committee of the Shahi Idgah Masjid, which is a defendant-respondent in the original suits.

Prior to this, Afzal Ahmad had completed his arguments on behalf of the Uttar Pradesh Sunni Central Waqf Board, which is listed as a defendant in the suits. Following that, Mehmood Pracha, acting as counsel, presented his case via video conferencing for the management committee of the Shahi Idgah Masjid and concluded his arguments. The court also extensively heard from the counsels representing the Hindu side plaintiffs, including Hari Shankar Jain, Rina N Singh, Saurabh Tiwari, and others.

Following the aforementioned proceedings, in an open court session on Friday, Justice Mayank Kumar Jain informed the counsels for the parties that the order was being reserved. However, after the conclusion of the arguments and the reservation of the order in the open court, an application was submitted on behalf of the management committee of Shahi Idgah Masjid. The application requested "appropriate directions to ensure that the right of an audience through video conferencing of Mehmood Pracha, whose vakalatnama is on the record, is not obstructed in any manner."

The prayer also emphasized that the defendant's right to be heard should be safeguarded through suitable measures, including the video recording of the proceedings.

The court observed that Mehmood Pracha had participated in the proceedings via video conferencing on multiple occasions and had also appeared in person before the court. It was noted that he had been given sufficient opportunities to argue the matter.

The court further made it clear, saying that "The right of audience to any of the counsel, who desired to appear and argue the matter through video conferencing, was never obstructed as the entire hearing, which commenced from February 22, 2024, was conducted in the presence of the parties to the suits as well as their respective counsels".