Supreme Court Grants Hearing on Gyanvapi Mosque Committee’s Plea Against Allahabad HC, Continuing Legal Battle
The Supreme Court of India has given its nod to hear a plea from the Gyanvapi mosque committee regarding the Allahabad High Court’s ruling on the maintainability of a temple restoration suit. The committee, known as Anjuman Intezamia Masjid, is responsible for managing the Gyanvapi mosque.
Last year, on December 19, the Allahabad High Court dismissed pleas challenging the legitimacy of a 1991 suit seeking the “restoration” of a temple at the Gyanvapi mosque site. The court emphasized its authority in determining the “religious character” of disputed places.
Addressing various related petitions on maintainability and objections to a mosque premises survey, the High Court clarified that the suit filed before the district court is not restricted by the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991. This Act prevents the “conversion” of the “religious character” of a place from its status on August 15, 1947.
The suit, initiated by petitioners seeking the right to worship in the Gyanvapi mosque near the Kashi Vishwanath temple, faced opposition from Muslim litigants citing the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act. Subsequently, on January 31, the Varanasi district court ruled that a priest can perform prayers before the idols in the southern cellar of the Gyanvapi mosque.
Disagreeing with this verdict, the mosque committee lodged a petition in the Allahabad High Court against the district court’s decision. The recent decision by the Supreme Court to entertain the plea indicates a continuation of the legal process.
Advocate Prabhash Pandey, in response to the court’s decision, conveyed that the judge rejected the pleas filed by the Muslim side against the District Judge’s order. He stressed that worship (puja) will persist, hailing it as a notable triumph for Sanatana Dharma (eternal religion). Pandey also highlighted that the Muslim side retains the option to request a review of the decision.
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