PRAYAGRAJ: The Allahabad High Court on Thursday ruled that the trial in 18 cases relating to the Krishna Janmabhoomi-Shahi Idgah dispute in Mathura can continue, dismissing a petition filed by the mosque committee that challenged the maintainability of these suits.

Justice Mayank Kumar Jain had on June 6 reserved his judgment on the plea moved by the Muslim side regarding maintainability of the suits. The court has now fixed August 12 as the date for framing of issues.

The suits filed by Hindu litigants seek "removal" of the Shahi Idgah mosque located adjacent to the Krishna Janmabhoomi temple. The petitions claim that the Aurangazeb-era mosque was built after the demolition of the temple.

But the mosque management committee and the UP Sunni Central Waqf Board argued that the suits were barred under Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991 that prohibits changing the status of any place of worship from what it was on the days of the country's Independence.