Plea to bar Muslims from Gyanvapi site to be heard: Court
VARANASI: A plea to bar Muslims from entering the Gyanvapi Masjid complex is maintainable, a local Varanasi court said on Thursday, overruling objections by the management of the mosque and saying it will hear the case. The petition — filed by the Vishwa Vedic Sanatan Sangh (VVSS), a Hindutva outfit – on May 24,2022, demanded three things: That the site where a disputed structure was found (Hindus claim it is a shivling and Muslims say it’s a ritual ablution fountain) be handed over to Hindus, Hindu devotees be allowed worshipping rites and Muslims be barred from entering.
The Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee, which manages the 17th-century mosque, objected to the plea and said that the petition violated a 1991 law that froze the religious character of religious sites as they were on August 15, 1947. But the fast track (senior division) court rejected this argument. To be sure, this only means that the arguments of both sides will be heard by the court. “The application 37 C filed by the defendant no 4 under Order 7 Rule 11 CPC is hereby dismissed,” the court said. “The fast track court of civil judge (senior division) Mahendra Pandey ruled that the case is maintainable in the court of law,” said Man Bahadur Singh, a lawyer for Hindu group.