HC to hear mosque committee plea in Gyanvapi case on Oct 19

Prayagraj (UP): The Allahabad High Court will hear on Wednesday the Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee's petition challenging the Varanasi district court's September 12 order rejecting its application against the maintainability of a plea seeking worship of Hindu deities whose idols are located on an outer wall of the Gyanvapi Masjid.

Justice J J Munir passed the order on a joint request from the counsels for the parties concerned.

Fixing October 19 as the date of hearing, the high court directed that a photocopy of all papers on the basis of which the district judge had disposed of the application under Order 7 Rule 11 of the Code of Civil Procedure (CPC) has to be sent to this court by Wednesday.

On September 12, the Varanasi district court said it will continue to hear a petition by some Hindu women seeking daily worship of Hindu deities whose idols are located on an outer wall of the Gyanvapi Masjid, dismissing the mosque committee's argument that the case is not maintainable.

District Judge A K Vishvesh rejected the Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee's petition questioning the maintainability of the case, which has reignited the Kashi Vishwanath temple-Gyanvapi Masjid dispute.

Varanasi district court said the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991 Act does not apply in this case – where the devotees are seeking permission for daily worship of the idols they say are already installed there. Already, they are allowed to offer prayers there once a year, their lawyers had argued.