India, Oct. 18 -- New Delhi

The Supreme Court on Friday upheld the Gujarat high court's decision allowing the partial demolition of the 400-year-old Mancha Masjid complex in Ahmedabad to facilitate a road-widening project, observing that the action was driven by public interest and not a violation of religious freedom.

A bench of justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi noted that only a portion of the vacant land and a platform adjacent to the mosque were being cleared, while the mosque structure itself would remain intact. The bench also underlined that a temple, a commercial establishment and a residential property were similarly earmarked for demolition as part of the same development plan.

"Article 25 (right to practice and profess...