Varanasi Court to resume Gyanvapi hearing; will hear plea for worship of Shringar Gauri

The hearing on the Gyanvapi case will resume in Varanasi court today. The court will begin hearing arguments over the viability of a petition filed by five Hindu women requesting consent for daily worship of the Shringar Gauri Sthal inside the Kashi Vishwanath-Gyanvapi complex. 

The Hindu women have sought round-the-year access to offer prayers at the Shringar Gauri Sthal. Earlier, the court adjourned the matter till July 4. Advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain, who is appearing for the Hindus, said, “Muslim side will continue with its arguments. According to them, the case is not maintainable, but we have mentioned that it is maintainable. Our demand to grant worship there is legally valid.”

It is pertinent to mention here that the Varanasi District Court on May 30 deferred the hearing on the Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee’s plea challenging the maintainability of a suit filed by Hindu women till July 4, according to the lawyer representing the petitioner women. 

Advocate appearing for the Anjuman Intezamia Masjid had cited various judgements to support his argument that the maintainability of a suit filed by Hindu women is barred by the Places of Worship Act.

Gyanvapi survey

On May 20, the Supreme Court order transferred the suit on the Gyanvapi Masjid dispute from the civil judge (senior division) Varanasi to the district judge owing to the sensitivity of the case. Hearing a plea filed by a group of Hindu women that have sought year-long access to offer prayers at a Hindu shrine, a Varanasi Court on Thursday allowed the videographic survey of Gyanvapi mosque premises, located next to the Kashi Vishwanath temple. Guidelines for continuing the video survey of the mosque were issued by Varanasi’s Civil Judge Ravi Kumar Diwakar and it was further announced that it will be held by May 17. 

Earlier on April 18, 2021, a group of Delhi-based women moved the court with their plea and had also sought to stop the opponents from damaging the idols. On April 26, the court of Civil Judge of Varanasi ordered videography by the advocate commissioner of the Kashi Vishwanath-Gyanvapi mosque complex and other places after Eid and to submit a report by May 10.

It is pertinent to mention here that the Gyanvapi mosque survey controversy dates back to 1991 when local priests filed multiple petitions in Varanasi district court seeking permission to worship in the Gyanvapi complex. The petitioners contended that a part of the Kashi Vishwanath Mandir was demolished in the 17th century and Gyanvapi Masjid was built on the orders of Mughal ruler Aurangzeb.