Gyanvapi row: Allahabad HC asks Varanasi district judge to send all records of Hindu women’s suit by Oct 21

PTI, Oct 19, 2022, 8:46 PM IST

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Prayagraj: In the Gyanvapi mosque dispute case, the Allahabad High Court on Wednesday directed the Varanasi district judge to send photocopies of all documents related to Hindu women’s suit to it by October 21.

The high court was hearing the Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee’s petition challenging the Varanasi district court’s September 12 order rejecting its application against the maintainability of the women’s plea seeking daily worship of Hindu deities whose idols are located on an outer wall of the Gyanvapi mosque.

The photocopies have to be verified by the district judge, the high court said.  Justice J J Munir fixed October 21 the next date of hearing in the case.

On Monday, the high court sought photocopies of only those documents 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).

On September 12, the Varanasi district court said it would continue to hear a petition by some Hindu women seeking daily worship of Hindu deities in the mosque complex, dismissing the mosque committee’s argument that the case is not maintainable.

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

The mosque committee’s dismissed plea had cited the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991 to make its case.

The Varanasi district court said the 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.

The mosque committee has now filed a revision petition in the high court against the district court order.