Gyanvapi Mosque Case: Allahabad HC rejects Masjid Committees plea

Allahabad High Court on Tuesday rejected all petitions from the Muslim side challenging the Hindus' plea to worship at the Gyanvapi mosque. The petitions were filed by the Sunni Central Waqf Board and Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee regarding the ownership between Gyanvapi Mosque and Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi.The court rejected two petitions against the maintainability of 1991 civil suit filed by Hindu worshippers, and three against the ASI survey order.The Allahabad High Court said that Gyanvapi compound can have either a Mulsim character or a Hindu character and directed trial court, "to expeditiously decide the suit in 6 months". The Anjuman Intezamia Masajid Committee (AIMC), which looks after the management of Gyanvapi mosque located adjacent to Kashi Vishwanath temple at Varanasi, had challenged the maintainability of a suit filed before a Varanasi court, wherein the Hindu petitioners have sought restoration of a temple at the site where the Gyanvapi mosque presently exists. 

AIMC and the Uttar Pradesh Sunni Central Waqf Board had also challenged a Varanasi court order of April 8, 2021 to conduct a comprehensive survey of the Gyanvapi mosque. According to Hindu side plaintiff, the Gyanvapi mosque is a part of the temple.The ASI carried out the scientific survey of the Gyanvapi premises, located next to the Kashi Vishwanath temple, to determine whether the mosque was constructed over a pre-existing structure of a Hindu temple. The survey was carried on the direction of the district court's July 21 order that mentioned the need to survey beneath the mosque's domes, the cellars and the western wall. It said the ASI should also examine the plinth and pillars to determine the age and nature of the building. The court had asked the ASI to ensure that there is no damage to the structure standing on the disputed land .The survey had begun after the Allahabad High Court upheld the Varanasi district court order and ruled that the step was "necessary in the interest of justice" and would benefit both the Hindu and Muslim sides in the dispute.