SC denies plea to worship Shivling in Gyanvapi mosqueVaranasi, Sep 12: The Varanasi district court on Monday is expected to pronounce its orders on the maintainability of the plea in the Gyanvapi mosque-Shringar Gauri case.
Five women had filed the petition seeking permission for daily worship of Hindu deities whose idols are claimed to be located on an outer wall of the Gyanvapi mosque. The Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee has said the Gyanvapi mosque is a Waqf property and has questioned the maintainability of the plea.
SC denies plea to worship Shivling in Gyanvapi mosque
Here is the timeline of the issue:
1991: The first petition in connection with the case was filed in 1991 in Varanasi court by Swayambhu Jyotirlinga Bhagwan Vishweshwar, seeking permission to worship in the Gyanvapi complex.
1997: Hearings commenced in the civil court from June 1997.
1998: Hearing the dispute, the Allahabad Court stayed further proceedings in the lower court in August 1998 and the matter remained pending till December 2019.
2019: After the Ayodhya verdict, the case resurfaced. Advocate Vijay Shankar Rastogi filed a plea seeking an archaeological survey of the site and the Varanasi Court granted permission.
Aug 2021: A petition was filed by five Hindu women seeking permission to worship the Shringar Gauri Sthal within the Kashi Vishwanath-Gyanvapi Masjid complex.
April 8, 2022: Varanasi court had appointed Ajay Kumar Mishra as the advocate commissioner and directed him to carry out a survey and videograph the site.
Security upped ahead of possible verdict in Gyanvapi Mosque-Shringar Gauri case
May 16: The local court directed the district administration to seal a spot in the Gyanvapi Masjid complex after counsels representing the Hindu petitioners said a Shivling was found during a court-mandated videography survey. A mosque management committee spokesperson disputed the claim, telling a television channel that the object was part of a "fountain". He said lawyers representing the mosque committee were not fully heard before the sealing order was announced.
May 17, 2022: The Varanasi court removes an advocate commissioner it had appointed to conduct a videography survey of the Gyanvapi mosque.
The Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee, the caretakers of the mosque, had accused Ajay Kumar Mishra, who was appointed as the advocate commissioner to conduct videography survey, of acting in a biased manner and demanded that he be removed.
May 20, 2022: The apex court transferred the Gyanvapi-Shringar Gauri complex case from a civil judge (senior division) to a district judge, saying looking at the "complexities" and "sensitivity" of the issue, it is better if a senior judicial officer having an experience of over 25-30 years handles this case.
Jul 15, 2022: Hindu plaintiffs in the Gyanvapi mosque-Shringar Gauri temple case submitted in a district court that the Shivling claimed to have been found there during a videography survey and it was worshipped for centuries but later hidden. Presenting the arguments on the maintainability of the case, the counsel for the Hindu side, Madan Mohan Yadav, said "Adivishweshwar" had appeared on his own.
Jul 18, 2022: The Supreme Court agreed to list for hearing a plea seeking permission to worship the Shivling', found in the Gyanvapi mosque premises during a court-ordered survey.
Jul 21, 2022: The Supreme Court declined to entertain he plea seeking the right to worship the 'Shivling'.
Aug 24, 2022: A district court hearing the Gyanvapi mosque-Shringar Gauri complex case here reserved its judgment till September 12 as both Hindu and Muslim sides concluded their arguments on the maintainability of the suit on Wednesday.