The Allahabad High Court has dismissed a civil revision petition filed by the Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee (AIMC) challenging the maintainability of a suit filed by five Hindu women. The suit seeks permission for regular worship of Shringar Gauri and other deities inside Varanasi’s Gyanvapi mosque compound.
Justice JJ Munir made the decision after hearing arguments from both sides.
Hari Shankar Jain, the lawyer representing the Hindu side, expressed hope that a grand Shiv temple would be constructed in the Gyanvapi complex, and the current structure would be removed.
Last year, the Masjid committee had filed a plea in the Allahabad High Court challenging a district court’s order that deemed the suit filed by the five Hindu women maintainable. The suit seeks the right to pray at Maa Shringar Gauri within the mosque complex.
The district court had rejected the mosque committee’s plea against the maintainability of the suit, which sought daily worship rights for Hindu deities whose idols are located on an outer wall of the Gyanvapi Masjid.
A videographic survey of the complex was ordered by a lower court and was completed on May 16. The report was submitted to the court on May 19.
According to the Hindu side, a Shivling (representation of Lord Shiva) was found during the videographic survey of the Gyanvapi mosque-Shringar Gauri complex. However, this claim was disputed by the Muslim side.
