Varanasi District Judge Dr Ajay Kumar Vishvesha, on Monday, reserved his judgement on maintainability of the Shringar Gauri-Gyanvapi Mosque lawsuit. He will deliver the order on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, a former seer of Kashi Vishwanath Temple filed a petition seeking permission to perform puja of the 'Shivling' claimed by the Hindu side to have been found in the wuzu khana of the Gyanvapi mosque and offer ‘bhog’ to it. A city lawyer also submitted an application in the court demanding action against the Samajwadi Party national president, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief and six others.
District Judge Dr Ajay Kumar Vishvesha started hearing on the Shringar Gauri-Gyanvapi lawsuit on Monday afternoon. After hearing both Hindu and Muslim sides, the court reserved judgment for Tuesday. The court will deliver the order on the objections of Muslim side on the maintainability of the suit as it claims that the suit is not maintainable in view of the Places of Worship Act, 1991.
The Supreme Court had directed transfer of the case to the court of the district judge from the court of civil judge (senior division).
The hearing began at 2:00 pm and lasted for around 45 minutes. During the hearing, both sides put up their arguments. The Hindu side demanded copy of the commission report while the Muslim side insisted on the hearing on the maintainability of the suit first.
During the hearing, no one was allowed in the court except the petitioners and their counsels. As many 23 persons, including the four petitioners and 19 counsels were allowed entry in the court during the hearing. The district judge had provided a list of 23 persons to the police and only they were allowed to be present in the court during the hearing. There was tight security in the court premises.
Former seer of Shri Kashi Vishwanath Temple, Kulpati Tiwari, filed a petition in the court of the district judge seeking permission to perform puja and offer bhog of the 'Shivling' found in the wuzu khana of the Gyanvapi mosque. The Muslim side claims that it is a fountain.
A lawyer, Hari Shankar Pandey, submitted an application in the court of ACM-V against SP president Akhilesh Yadav, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi, secretary of Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee and five others for vitiating religious harmony in society.
Five women, including one Rakhi Singh of Delhi and four belonging to Varanasi, had filed a petition in the court of Civil Judge (Senior Division) Ravi Kumar Diwakar seeking permission to worship at Shringar Gauri temple and for preservation of other idols located in Gyanvapi mosque complex. The court had ordered a commission survey of the complex and appointed Ajay Kumar Mishra as court commissioner for videographic survey of the inside of the complex on May 6 and 7. Later, the court commissioner was removed and Vishal Singh and Ajay Pratap Singh were appointed special court commissioner and assistant court commissioner respectively and they conducted the survey and on May 14, 15 and 16. The reports were submitted to the civil judge (senior division) separately. Later, both reports were transferred to the court of the district judge on the directive of the Supreme Court.