The District Court in Varanasi in its verdict on the suit in the Gyanvapi-Shringar Gauri case has ordered that the suit is maintainable and that the facts and information presented by the Hindu side are acceptable in the court. The court rejected the application of the Muslim side challenging the maintainability of the case.
#BREAKING Varanasi Court ‘REJECTS’ Order 7 Rule 11 application filed by masjid committee in #GyanvapiCase
— LawBeat (@LawBeatInd) September 12, 2022
The suit filed by 5 Hindu women seeking worshipping rights in the #Gyanvapi compound is ‘MAINTAINABLE’.
Talking to media reporters, Advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain said, “The court has ordered in our favour. The suit is maintainable and the application of the Muslim side has been rejected by the court. The next hearing in the case will be held on September 22.”
As per reports, the Hindu side may now seek a court-mandated survey inside the disputed premises and demand an investigation into the Shivalinga found in the ‘Wazukhana’ area.
Hindu side will now move for Court mandated survey & removal of the `wall' constructed to `hide facts'. They will also pray for further investigation to establish how old is the Shivalinga found in the `Wazukhana' area. All this is subject to approval of court in the next hearing
— GAURAV C SAWANT (@gauravcsawant) September 12, 2022
The verdict comes after a district court in Varanasi reserved its order in August on a plea brought by the Anjuman Islamia Masjid Committee, which challenged the maintainability of the Gyanvapi-Shringar Gauri suit filed by five Hindu women. The Court heard arguments on the merits of a petition filed by five Hindu women seeking permission to worship at the Shringar Gauri Sthal in the disputed Gyanvapi complex of Kashi Vishwanath on a daily basis.
It is in this case that the Varanasi court ordered a video survey of the disputed complex on May 12 this year. Stunning revelations were made after the survey including the discovery of a Shivling in the Wuzukhana of the disputed Gyanvapi complex. Following the survey, Civil Judge (Senior Division) Ravi Kumar Diwakar ordered the sealing of the disputed Gyanvapi structure as requested by Advocate Hari Shankar Jain to safeguard the premises.
Ajay Mishra, the court-appointed commissioner entrusted with inspecting the Gyanvapi complex, stated in his report that there are stone sculptures of Hindu Gods and Goddesses on the walls of the disputed edifice. According to Mishra’s report, the stone carvings on the eastern and western sides of the so-called masjid are comparable, indicating that they were all part of a bigger edifice that was destroyed.
The present litigation regarding the disputed Gyanvapi complex is centred on five female petitioners. On April 18, 2021, Rakhi Singh, Laxmi Devi, Sita Sahu, Manju Vyas, and Rekha Pathak filed a lawsuit demanding the right to regularly worship and perform rituals at Shringar Gauri, Lord Ganesh, Lord Hanuman, and Nandi, as well as prohibiting opponents from harming the statues inside the disputed Gyanvapi structure.
Nonetheless, several cases have been brought in the Supreme Court, Allahabad High Court, and the local Varanasi Court regarding the mosque built in the 17th century by Mughal emperor Aurangzeb after demolishing the ancient Kashi Vishwanath Temple. The timeline of events and cases can be found here.
