Senior lawyer Abhay Nath Yadav, representing the Muslim side in the Gyanvapi case passed away on Sunday, July 31, because of a cardiac arrest. According to reports, Yadav died in a hospital on Maqbool Alam Road in Varanasi.
Notably, Yadav was representing Anjamun Intejamiya Masjid, the management committee of the Gyanvapi mosque in Varanasi, in the ongoing case over the disputed Gyanvapi structure.
Speaking about the sudden demise of Abhay Nath Yadav, senior lawyer of Banaras Bar Association Nityanand Rai informed that Yadav got a major heart attack around 10:30 pm on Sunday night and was rushed to Trimurti Hospital where doctors declared him dead.
After that, Yadav’s family took him to Shubham Hospital in Varanasi, where the doctors also confirmed his death.
As per reports, on August 4, a response from the Muslim side in the ongoing Gyanvapi case was due, and Abhay Nath Yadav’s involvement would have been crucial.
Pertinently, the Anjuman Intejamia Committee which manages the affairs and upkeep of the disputed structure often referred to as Gyanvapi ‘mosque’ and is representing the Muslim side in the case, has challenged the maintainability of a suit filed by five Hindu women seeking permission for daily worship of the Shringar Gauri Sthal in the disputed Gyanvapi complex of Kashi Vishwanath.
The legal dispute over the Gyanvapi temple
Moreover, the Muslim side had also opposed the Varanasi Civil Court’s order to allow the videography and survey of the disputed Gyanvapi structure. It had filed a petition opposing the survey inside the mosque and demanding the removal of the advocate commissioner Ajay Kumar Mishra leading the survey team alleging that he is biased.
In fact, even after the survey was conducted the Muslim side asked the court not to make public the video of the same.
It may be recalled that the Hindu side claimed that the 11-hour survey has found ample evidence of a pre-existing temple in the Gyanvapi mosque. After listening to both parties, the court ruled that the survey report and the videography report will be handed over to both sides on the 30th of May. However, the Gyanvapi Mosque Committee on May 27 requested the court not to allow the photos and videos of the survey to become public. On the other hand, the Hindu side welcomed the court’s decision for the same.
In the month of May, a Shivling was found submerged in the wuzukhana, the place where people who offer namaz, the Islamic prayer, clean their dirty hands and feet and gargle water as a cleansing ritual, inside the complex where the disputed structure called ‘Gyanvapi mosque’ is situated. The mosque was constructed after destroying the Hindu temple of Kashi Vishwanath. The centuries-old Nandi inside the new complex right next to the disputed structure also points toward the place where the Shivling was found in the wuzukhana.
Upon discovery of the Shivling, the judge ordered the sealing of the complex and forbade those offering prayer in the masjid from cleaning their dirty feet and hands where the Shivling has been found. It also ordered to allow the videography and survey of the disputed Gyanvapi structure, which the Anjuman Intejamia Committee vehemently opposed.
Meanwhile, as per the latest reports, the Supreme Court will be holding a hearing in the Gyanvapi case in the month of October. The Supreme Court bench had said that the matter is currently being heard in the lower court. The bench of Justice Chandrachud, Justice Suryakant and Justice Narasimha is hearing the matter.