MASSIVE SETBACK FOR MUSLIM SIDE IN GYANVAPI CONTROVERSY

Allahabad High Court has allowed the trial of the 1991 civil suit.

- ASHISH SINHA

In the dispute regarding the ownership of the Kashi Vishwanath Gyanvapi site in Varanasi, the Allahabad High Court has issued a significant order on Tuesday. In the Gyanvapi case, the Allahabad High Court has delivered a significant blow to the Muslim side by granting permission for the trial of the 1991 case. The Allahabad High Court has dismissed five pleas.

Justice Rohit Ranjan Agarwal’s bench dismissed the petitions filed by the Sunni Central Waqf Board and the Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee, which challenged the ownership disputes related to the Gyanvapi mosque. The court stated that the case affects two major communities in the country. The High Court directed the Varanasi District Trial Court to make a decision on the case within six months.

The legal battle over the Gyanvapi Mosque has been going on since 1991. The first case was filed in the Varanasi court in 1991, seeking permission for worship at the Gyanvapi premises. The case involves Swayambhu Bhagwan Vishweshwar’s ancient idol, with Somanath Vyasa, Ram Rang Sharma, and Harihar Pandey as the petitioners. A few months after the case was filed, in September 1991, the Central government enacted a law regarding places of worship. The law stipulates that any place of worship that existed before August 15, 1947, cannot be converted into a place of worship of another religion. Attempting to do so could lead to imprisonment of one to three years along with a fine.