Shringar Gauri Sthal legal battle will go on: Four petitioners
VARANASI : Four of the five women petitioners in the case seeking daily worship at Maa Shringar Gauri Sthal in Kashi Vishwanath-Gyanvapi complex in Varanasi on Sunday said they would not withdraw the case.
They made their stand clear after Vishwa Vaidik Sanatan Sangh chief Jitendra Singh Vishen, whose organisation had backed the original plea by the five women, on Sunday morning said the case would be withdrawn on Monday.
After the announcement started doing the rounds on social media, the four women — Manju Vyas, Sita Sahu, Lakshmi Devi and Rekha Pathak — appeared before the media in Varanasi and said that the case would not be withdrawn and they will continue the legal battle.
Manju Vyas said, “The case will not be withdrawn under any circumstances. We will continue our legal battle.”
The four petitioners said during the survey of Maa Shringar Gauri Sthal in Kashi Vishwanath Gyanvapi premises on Friday, the head of Vishwa Vaidik Sanatan Sangh Jitendra Singh Vishen was not present on their behalf. The fifth petitioner Rakhi Singh was not present at the media interaction held by the four others.
The Vishwa Vaidik Sanatan Sangh, the body backing the case, on Saturday dissolved the legal advisory committee and shared the information on its letterhead.
Under the leadership of Vishwa Vaidik Sanatan Sangh chief Jitendra Singh Vishen, five women, including Rakhi Singh, had filed a petition in August 2021, seeking permission for regular darshan and worship at Maa Shringar Gauri Sthal.
On April 8, 2022, the court of civil judge (senior division) Ravi Kumar Diwakar appointed Ajai Kumar as the advocate commissioner. On April 26, the court ordered a survey and videography of Maa Shringar Gauri Sthal in the Kashi Vishwanath-Gyanvapi complex. The court asked the advocate commissioner to present a detailed report before it on May 10.
On Friday, advocate commissioner Kumar started the survey, but could not conduct it on Saturday as advocates of Anzuman Intezamia Masjid Committee, which manages the Gyanvapi mosque, didn’t allow the survey team to enter the Gyanvapi mosque premises.
On the other hand, the petitioners’ advocate Subhash Nandan Chaturvedi said that none of the petitioners contacted him (for withdrawing the case). So, he was not aware of it, he said.
Chaturvedi said that there are five plaintiffs in the case. Even if a person withdraws for any reason, the case still stands, he said. The case continues until all the plaintiffs withdraw the case, he added. Despite repeated attempts to contact him, Jitendra Singh Vishen was not available for comment.