India, March 2 -- MEERUT The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has informed the Central Information Commission (CIC) that it possesses no records indicating whether the Jama Masjid in Sambhal was built after demolishing an earlier structure or on vacant land, nor does it hold documents identifying the landowner at the time of the mosque's construction, said to be in 1526.

The disclosure came in response to a right to information (RTI) application filed by Sambhal-based lawyer Satya Prakash Yadav, who sought details about the Mughal-era mosque's origins, including whether it replaced any prior ruins, the name of the landowner at the time and documentary proof granting ownership rights. In its written reply, the ASI stated that "no such...