Allahabad HC rejects Muslim sides' plea in Gyanvapi case

The Allahabad High Court on Wednesday dismissed the plea of the Anjuman Intezamia Committee, which represents the Muslim side in the Gyanvapi Shrinagar Gauri case, challenging the maintainability of the Hindu side's case.

The Hindu worshippers requested permission for daily worship of Hindu deities in the Gyanvapi mosque.

The high court has rejected the mosque committee's challenge to the 5 Hindu women worshippers' suit pending before the Varanasi court.

Last year in December, the bench of Justice J.J. Munir reserved its judgment after hearing counsel for both parties at length.

With this, the court has upheld the September 12, 2022 order of the Varanasi court, holding the said suit to be maintainable. The Masjid Committee had moved the High Court in October 2022, days after the Varanasi court dismissed its plea (filed under Order 7 Rule 11 CPC) challenging the maintainability of a suit filed by five Hindu women (plaintiffs) seeking worshipping rights in the Gyanvapi compound.

In the order, Varanasi District Judge Ajay Krishna Vishwesha had observed that the suit of the plaintiffs is not barred by the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991, The Waqf Act 1995, and the U.P. Shri Kashi Vishwanath Temple Act, 1983 as was being claimed by the Anjuman Masjid Committee (which manages Gyanvapi Masjid).