It was during the glorious reign of emperor Shah Jahan that the Jama Masjid made its appearance in 1556. From the early days, the duties of the Imam has been the privilege of a family originating in Bukhara. To this very day no one outside the family has ever held this position.

The administration of the Masjid is dead against conferring the status of protected monument. It is firm in the belief that nobody, not even the Waqf board can claim ownership rights of the historic monument. However an official government document bearing the date of April 16, 1970, mentions the Waqf board as being the owners.

The Waqf board itself contends that their rights over the monument date back to the 19th century. Its claim is further supported by the fact that they pay salaries to the Imams.

On October 20 last year, the current Prime Minister Manmohan Singh wrote to Shahi Imam quelling any fears of the Jama Masjid being converted into a protected monument. The Centre regularly allots funds for the maintenance of the monument despite its exclusion as a national property. The peculiar role of the government has not in the least been helped by the silence it maintains over its interests in the Jama Masjid. The importance of the Jama Masjid to the government is beyond a fraction of doubt. Every time polls are held, the Muslim vote bank plays a decisive role in the outcome and it is the Jama Masjid which determines which way the vote will swing. With crores of rupees pouring into the Jama Masjid, the commercial motives of the Waqf board cannot be entirely ruled out.

With high stakes, rich history, religious significance, artistic grandeur, the Jama Masjid makes for an enigma that is anything but simple. And the tussle goes on….