The Allahabad High Court on Friday adjourned the hearing in the Kashi-Vishwanath temple-Gyanvapi mosque case in Varanasi until July 15. Justice Prakash Padiya will preside over the case’s proceedings.
The High Court was hearing a plea filed by the Uttar Pradesh Sunni Waqf Board and the Gyanvapi Masjid management committee challenging the maintainability of a suit pending before a Varanasi court seeking the restoration of a temple on the site of the mosque.
The petitioners have also challenged a Varanasi court order of April 8, 2021 directing the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to conduct a full survey of the Gyanvapi mosque complex.
After hearing both sides extensively, Justice Prakash Padia reserved his decision on the case on November 28, 2022.
However, in an order dated May 24, Justice Padia stated that more clarifications from the parties’ counsel were required. Considering this, the case was scheduled for further hearing on Friday, along with other connected matters.
The high court had previously reserved its decision on the suit’s maintainability pending before the Varanasi court. The court will now hear all related matters concerning the suit’s maintainability and the order for the ASI survey together.
While hearing a plea seeking the restoration of the temple at the Gyanvapi mosque site on April 8, 2021, the Varanasi court directed the ASI to conduct a full survey of the mosque complex.
Following that, the order of the Varanasi court was contested before the high court by the Anjuman Intezamia Masjid (AIM), the Gyanvapi management committee, and the Uttar Pradesh Sunni Central Waqf Board.
The high court stayed the Varanasi court’s order on September 9, 2021. Throughout the hearing, the stay order was extended from time to time.
Hearing the plea filed by the AIM and the waqf board, Justice Padia deferred his order on November 28, 2022, and directed that the interim stay on the Varanasi court order for the ASI to conduct a survey of the mosque complex be extended till the judgement is delivered.
