Hindu petitioners, whose plea to worship at the mosque was approved yesterday, call order a ‘win for Hindus’
Plaintiffs with their lawyers celebrate after the court’s order, in Varanasi on Monday. Pic/PTI
The Varanasi district court on Monday rejected the plea questioning the maintainability of a plea that sought permission for daily worship of Hindu deities on an outer wall of the Gyanvapi mosque. District judge A K Vishvesha dismissed the petition filed by the Muslim side citing the Places of Worship Act and questioning the maintainability of the petition.
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Five women had filed the petition seeking permission for daily worship of Hindu deities. The Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee has argued that the mosque is a Waqf property and has questioned the maintainability of the plea. The court will hear the matter again on September 22.
The Gyanvapi mosque at the back. Pic/ANI
“It’s a win for the Hindu community. It’s a foundation stone for the Gyanvapi temple. Appeal to people to maintain peace,” Sohan Lal Arya, a petitioner in the case, told ANI.
Well-known Sunni cleric Maulana Khalid Rashid Firangi Mahali said their legal team would study the verdict and act accordingly. He expressed concern over the fact that the Places of Worship Act 1991 was being set aside and such cases were being raised.
Also Read: Gyanvapi Masjid case: Union Minister Thakur hails court decision
Earlier this year, the Varanasi civil court ordered the filming of the mosque based on the five women’s plea. The court ordered the filming at the mosque, and a got its report in a sealed cover. But, the Hindu petitioners released details just hours later, claiming a ‘Shivling’ had been found in a pond within the complex.
The mosque committee challenged the filming in the district court. Hindu petitioners’ lawyers claimed the law does not bar their case and that they could establish in court that the mosque premises was actually a temple as on the day of Independence.
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