Gyanvapi Mosque case: Varanasi court says Hindu side's plea maintainable

The Varanasi district court on Monday (September 12) dismissed a plea challenging the maintainability of the case filed by Hindu petitioners seeking daily worship of Hindu deities whose idols are located on an outer wall of the Gyanvapi mosque.

Varanasi district judge ruled that the Gyanvapi mosque-Shringar Gauri case is maintainable, the lawyer representing the Hindu side, said.

District Judge AK Vishvesh ordered that it would continue to hear the petition seeking the right to worship in the temple.

Also read: REPLUG: Legal tangle over Varanasi’s Gyanvapi mosque explained

The district judge had last month reserved the order till September 12 in the communally sensitive matter. The court fixed September 22 as the next date of hearing in the case.

Earlier, five Hindu women had filed a petition seeking permission for daily worship of Hindu deities whose idols are located on an outer wall of the mosque.

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

Also read: Court orders resumption of video inspection inside Gyanvapi mosque

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 Hindu side had claimed in the court that a Shivling was found during the videography survey of the Gyanvapi mosque-Shringar Gauri complex.