Express News Service
LUCKNOW: A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) plea was moved in Allahabad High Court, on Wednesday, seeking directions to the UP government to seal the Gyanvapi mosque besides moving an application in Varanasi District Court.
While the application in the Varanasi district court to protect signs available in the mosque complex was submitted by Advocates Manbahadur Singh and Anupam Dwivedi on behalf of their client Rakhi Singh, one of the lead plaintiffs in the Gyanvapi -Shringar Gauri case, the PIL in the High Court was moved by Jitendra Singh Vishen, president, Vishwa Vedic Sanatan Sangh, and kin of Rakhi Singh.
The petitioners have expressed apprehensions that the Hindu signs and symbols present on mosque premises could be destroyed by non-Hindus.
The PIL urged the court to seal the premises without affecting the ASI survey order of the Varanasi District Court.
Significantly, five Hindu women plaintiffs, including Laxmi Devi, Sita Sahu, Manju Vyas and Rekha Pathak were from Varanasi and Rakhi Singh of Delhi, had moved Varanasi Civil Court (Senior Division) seeking the worship rights of Maa Shringar Gauri on the Gyanvapi premises through a plea filed in August 2021.
Both the application in Varanasi district Court and PIL in Allahabad High Court were filed just a day ahead of the crucial High Court order to be delivered on Thursday in connection with the ASI survey of Gyanvapi mosque premises.
Significantly, the PIL plea claims that at the disputed site (settlement Plot No. 9130 Ward and PS- Dashaswamedh, District Varanasi), a magnificent temple used to exist, wherein Lord Shiva himself established the “Jyotirlinga” lakhs of years ago, however, the said temple was damaged/destroyed in the year 1669 by emperor Aurangzeb.
However, responding to the development, SM Yasin, joint secretary, Anjuman Intezamia Masajid (AIM), the mosque management committee called the allegation baseless and said, “Our counsel would respond in this matter.” The petitioner’s lawyer Anupam Dwivedi said the Varanasi district court had fixed August 4 as date of hearing.
The Allahabad high court last week extended the stay on the ASI survey of Gyanvapi Masjid till the verdict is pronounced on August 3. On July 21, the Varanasi district court ordered an extensive scientific survey of the mosque by the ASI to ascertain whether it was built over a pre-existing temple while holding that a scientific probe is necessary for truth to come out. The district judge Dr AK Vishvesha had directed the ASI to carry out a comprehensive survey using dating, excavation and ground penetrating radar techniques of the plot where the mosque stands next to the Kashi Vishwanath temple.
LUCKNOW: A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) plea was moved in Allahabad High Court, on Wednesday, seeking directions to the UP government to seal the Gyanvapi mosque besides moving an application in Varanasi District Court.
While the application in the Varanasi district court to protect signs available in the mosque complex was submitted by Advocates Manbahadur Singh and Anupam Dwivedi on behalf of their client Rakhi Singh, one of the lead plaintiffs in the Gyanvapi -Shringar Gauri case, the PIL in the High Court was moved by Jitendra Singh Vishen, president, Vishwa Vedic Sanatan Sangh, and kin of Rakhi Singh.
The petitioners have expressed apprehensions that the Hindu signs and symbols present on mosque premises could be destroyed by non-Hindus.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });
The PIL urged the court to seal the premises without affecting the ASI survey order of the Varanasi District Court.
Significantly, five Hindu women plaintiffs, including Laxmi Devi, Sita Sahu, Manju Vyas and Rekha Pathak were from Varanasi and Rakhi Singh of Delhi, had moved Varanasi Civil Court (Senior Division) seeking the worship rights of Maa Shringar Gauri on the Gyanvapi premises through a plea filed in August 2021.
Both the application in Varanasi district Court and PIL in Allahabad High Court were filed just a day ahead of the crucial High Court order to be delivered on Thursday in connection with the ASI survey of Gyanvapi mosque premises.
Significantly, the PIL plea claims that at the disputed site (settlement Plot No. 9130 Ward and PS- Dashaswamedh, District Varanasi), a magnificent temple used to exist, wherein Lord Shiva himself established the “Jyotirlinga” lakhs of years ago, however, the said temple was damaged/destroyed in the year 1669 by emperor Aurangzeb.
However, responding to the development, SM Yasin, joint secretary, Anjuman Intezamia Masajid (AIM), the mosque management committee called the allegation baseless and said, “Our counsel would respond in this matter.” The petitioner’s lawyer Anupam Dwivedi said the Varanasi district court had fixed August 4 as date of hearing.
The Allahabad high court last week extended the stay on the ASI survey of Gyanvapi Masjid till the verdict is pronounced on August 3. On July 21, the Varanasi district court ordered an extensive scientific survey of the mosque by the ASI to ascertain whether it was built over a pre-existing temple while holding that a scientific probe is necessary for truth to come out. The district judge Dr AK Vishvesha had directed the ASI to carry out a comprehensive survey using dating, excavation and ground penetrating radar techniques of the plot where the mosque stands next to the Kashi Vishwanath temple.
