Explained: Gyanvapi Row, The Events That Have Happened So Far
On Monday, September 12, the Varanasi District and Sessions Court dismissed a petition filed against the suit (by five Hindu women plaintiffs in 2021) that sought the right to worship on Gyanvapi mosque premises. The petition was filed by the mosque's management committee, Anjuman Intezamia Masajid Committee (AIMC), which challenged the maintainability of the civil suit to offer year-round prayers to Maa Shringar Gauri Sthal, Lord Hanuman, and Lo...Read More
On Tuesday, a fast-track court in Varanasi deferred judgement on the maintainability of a plea seeking a ban on the entry of Muslims inside the Gyanvapi Masjid complex. Now, the verdict is scheduled for November 14.
The marquee slogan - "Ayodhya toh jhaanki hai, Kashi-Mathura baaki hai' - includes the Gyanvapi mosque, which is located next to the Kashi Vishwanath Temple. The slogan gained political momentum and raised demands for the religious rights of the Hindu community.
BCCL
District court judge Dr. Ajaya Krishna Vishvesha, has ruled that no existing act - such as the Places of Worship Act, 1991, the Wakf Act, 1995, and the U.P. Shri Kashi Vishwanath Temple Act, 1983 - restrains the suit. As a result, the court can continue the case hearing based on its merits.
TOI
The judge also sought evidence of the plaintiffs' claim to worship the deities on the mosque premises until 1993. It further said that if the contention is proved, the suit will not be barred by the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act. Since 1993, the Hindu community members can offer prayers to some idols at the contested site once a year.
A few hours after the court allowed the plea of Hindu women to proceed, members of AIMC said that post studying the judgment, their lawyers will challenge the same in the Allahabad High Court. On the contrary, a sense of jubilation was felt amongst members of the Hindu community as they celebrated by distributing sweets outside the court premises.
Events: In the background
Initially, a petition was filed before a civil judge in August 2021 that led to the commencement of a court-mandated survey that included inspection and filming of the Gyanvapi complex.
Post the survey, the survey panel found a 'Shivling' in the contested site. Next year, on May 17, the Supreme Court's three-judge bench passed an interim order to protect that specific area - while permitting Muslims to continue offering namaz in the mosque.
AP
Later, on May 20, the top court highlighted that the petition seeking permission to offer prayers to the Hindu deities needed to be handled by a "slightly more experienced and seasoned" officer from the UP Higher Judicial Service. It then handed over the trial of the suit to the Varanasi district judge.
The five Hindu plaintiffs who filed the suit are Varanasi-based Laxmi Devi, Sita Sahu, Manju Vyas, Rekha Pathak, and Delhi-based Rakhi Singh.
Mandir, Masjid, and sloganeering
BCCL
While the Supreme Court, in its 2019 judgment, has already resolved the Ayodhya land dispute, in Mathura also, some petitions have been filed against the Shahi Idgah mosque. The Shahi Idgah mosque is based next to a Hindu deity's birthplace, Lord Krishna. A new case was filed in Mathura on the day of the Varanasi court order seeking shifting of the Shahi Masjid Idgah.
