Gyanvapi Case: District Court Order On Maintainability Of Civil Suits Today, Security Tightened In Varanasi

Prohibitory orders were clamped in Varanasi as the District and Sessions Court will deliver its verdict on the maintainability of civil suits challenging the title of the Gyanvapi mosque

New Delhi: Varanasi District and Sessions Court will deliver its verdict on Monday on the maintainability of civil suits challenging the title of the Gyanvapi mosque and the land surrounding it.

Ahead of the court session, prohibitory orders were clamped and security tightened in Varanasi, news agency PTI reported.

District Judge AK Vishvesh had last month reserved the order till September 12 in the communally sensitive matter. Five women had filed the petition seeking permission for daily worship of Hindu deities whose idols are said to be located on an outer wall of the Gyanvapi mosque.

The Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee stated that the Gyanvapi mosque is a Waqf property and has questioned the maintainability of the plea.

Security Tightened In Varanasi

Police Commissioner A Satish Ganesh on Sunday said that prohibitory orders have been issued in the Varanasi commissionerate, PTI reported. Officers have been asked to interact with religious leaders in their respective areas to ensure that peace is maintained.

According to him, the entire city has been divided into sectors to maintain law and order. These sectors have been allocated police force as per their requirement.

Directives for flag march and foot march in sensitive areas have also been issued, PTI reported him as infroming.

Meanwhile, checking has been intensified in the district's border areas, hotels, and guest houses, while social media is also being monitored.

Madan Mohan Yadav, a lawyer of the Hindu side, had said that the mosque was constructed after demolishing the temple. Earlier, a lower court had ordered a videography survey of the complex. The survey work was completed on May 16 and the report was presented in the court on May 19.

The case was moved to the district court following an apex court order.

The Hindu side had claimed in the lower court that a Shivling was found during the videography survey of the Gyanvapi mosque-Shringar Gauri complex but the statement was contested by the Muslim side. 

SC Stressed Need To Balance Rights Of Contesting Parties

On May 17, the Supreme Court had directed the district magistrate of Varanasi to ensure the protection of an area inside the Gyanvapi-Shringar Gauri complex where a 'Shivling' is said to have been found during the last day of the three-day survey. It further asked for Muslims to be allowed to offer 'namaz' and perform religious observances.

The apex court said it needs to balance the rights of contesting parties and clarified that the order of the civil judge (senior division), hearing the plea of petitioner Hindu devotees, directing authorities to ensure the protection of the area would not restrict and impede the rights of Muslim to offer Namaz and to perform religious observances.

The Muslim side has been referring to the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991 and its Section 4 which bars filing of any suit or initiating any other legal proceeding for a conversion of the religious character of any place of worship, as existing on August 15, 1947.

The video graphics survey of the mosque was ordered on April 18, 2021, by the civil judge (senior division) Varanasi following the plea by Delhi residents Rakhi Singh, Laxmi Devi, Sita Sahu, and others.

The mosque management committee had opposed filming inside the mosque and also accused the court-appointed commissioner of being partisan. Amid the opposition, the survey was stalled for a while.

The original suit was filed in 1991 in the Varanasi district court for the restoration of the ancient temple at the site where the Gyanvapi mosque currently stands.