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Muslim petitioners to be heard today in Varanasi’s Gyanvapi Masjid case: 10 points

May 26, 2022
Bharat Times

Court-mandated filming was done on May 14, 15 and 16 at Gyanvapi Masjid

Varanasi:
The court of the senior most judge of Varanasi will begin the hearing of the Gyanvapi Masjid case today.

Here are the top 10 updates to this big story

  1. The court of District Judge AK Vishvesh had on Tuesday decided to first hear the petition of the Masjid Committee, challenging the hearing of a petition filed by five Hindu women who had sought entry into the Gyanvapi mosque premises, claiming It was said that there are idols of gods and goddesses inside. Mosque

  2. The district judge had also directed both the parties to file an objection to the report of court-mandated filming inside the mosque premises within a week.

  3. The Masjid Committee says filming in the mosque is in violation of a 1991 law that prohibits changing the character of any place of worship in the country.

  4. The Supreme Court on Friday said it was taking the Gyanvapi case to a “senior and experienced judge” considering the “complexities” and “sensitivity” of the issue.

  5. The Supreme Court asked the district judge to decide on a priority basis whether the survey and the petition that led to the inspection at the Gyanvapi Masjid was “maintainable”.

  6. The top court also said that its earlier interim order dated May 17 had directed the security of the area where the “Shivling” was allegedly found, and allow Muslims to offer prayers, which shall remain in force until the disposal of the petition of the Masjid Committee, and “thereafter” for a period of eight weeks so as to enable any party aggrieved by the order of the District Judge, to pursue its rights and remedies in accordance with law.”

  7. A separate petition seeking a ban on the entry of Muslims into the Gyanvapi mosque complex was shifted from a civil judge’s court on Wednesday to a fast-track court in Varanasi for hearing on May 30.

  8. Earlier last week, lawyers representing the Hindu petitioners claimed that a ‘Shivling’ was found during a videography survey of the Gyanvapi mosque complex.

  9. The claim was disputed by members of the mosque committee, who said it was part of the water fountain system in the Vazukhana reservoir, used by devotees to perform rituals before offering prayers. The district court then ordered sealing of the ‘vajukhana’.

  10. Court-mandated filming was done at Gyanvapi Masjid on May 14, 15 and 16, and the report was submitted to a Varanasi court on May 19.