Prayagraj (UP), Feb 2 (IANS) The Allahabad High Court on Friday refused to allow the Gyanvapi Mosque committee's plea seeking an interim stay on puja being performed in the southern cellar of the Gyanvapi Mosque (known as Vyas Tehkhana).

However, the Court has directed the state government to maintain law and order situation in the area.

Puja inside the Tehkhana began on 31st January, shortly after the Varanasi District Judge passed an order directing the district magistrate to facilitate puja inside the area by making proper arrangements. The district magistrate complied with the order on the same day.

On Thursday, an appeal was moved by the Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee (which manages Gyanvapi mosque) challenging the order of the Varanasi District Court allowing Hindus to perform prayers in the southern cellar of the Gyanvapi mosque (Vyas Ji ka Tehkhana).

The committee also sought a stay on the worship rituals.

In its application, the mosque committee has contended that the administration was acting in 'hot haste' soon after the Varanasi Court's order to allow the pooja at night itself. The application further argues that these actions, occurring in the middle of the night, aimed to pre-empt any legal challenge by the mosque managing committee.

While hearing the matter today, a Bench of Justice Rohit Ranjan Agarwal refused to grant any interim relief to the Mosque Committee as it stressed that it had not challenged Varanasi District Judge's January 17th order, wherein the district magistrate was appointed as a receiver.

The Court has granted it time till February 6 to amend its appeal and till then, the Court directed the Advocate General to maintain law and order situation in the area.

This development comes two days after the Supreme Court refused to urgently hear the Mosque Committee's plea against the order allowing puja Tehkhana, located at the southern cellar of the Mosque.

The Varanasi District Judge on January 31 directed the district administration to make appropriate arrangements within 7 days for Hindus to conduct worshipping rituals inside one of the sealed cellars/basement/tehkhana (vyas ji ka tehkhana) inside the existing Gyanvapi mosque complex.

Worship at this spot was stopped in the year 1993.

New Delhi, Jan 16 (IANS) The Supreme Court on Tuesday allowed cleaning of the 'wazukhana' (ablution pond) in Varanasi’s Gyanvapi mosque complex which had remained sealed since May 2022 after a ‘Shivling’ was stated to be found there.

A Bench, presided over by Chief Justice of India, DY Chandrachud, asked the district administration to supervise the cleaning and removal of dead fish from the water tank.

In their application filed before the apex court, the Hindu plaintiffs said that there was a putrid smell coming from the tank due to the presence of dead fish and the District Magistrate should be directed to get the sealed area cleaned.

“Since there exists a Shivlingam which is sacred to Hindus, it should be kept away from all dirt, grime, dead animals, etc. and it must be in a clean condition. It is currently in the midst of dead fish which is hurtful to the sentiments of the devotees of Lord Shiva,” the application read.

Hindu plaintiffs had instituted a suit in Varanasi court demanding the right of unhindered worship at the Maa Shringar Gauri Sthal. However, the Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee refutes that the mosque was built over a temple, maintaining the structure at the spot was always a mosque.

Recently, the Archaeological Survey of India after surveying the mosque complex (excluding the 'wazukhana') has filed the scientific survey report in a sealed cover before the district court.

Varanasi, Jan 4 (IANS) The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has filed an application in the Varanasi district court urging the Judge to postpone the disclosure of its Gyanvapi mosque survey report for four weeks.

In response to the plea, the court reserved its order on the matter and will decide on Thursday whether to provide the report to the parties involved in the original Shringar Gauri suit (Rakhi Singh and others vs. Uttar Pradesh state and others).

Four women plaintiffs through their advocate requested that the survey report be opened and a copy be given to them.

The ASI stated in its application that in compliance with Allahabad High Cour's order of December 19, 2023, in a different but related case (Ancient Idol of Swayambhu Lord Vishweshwar vs. Anjuman Intezamia Masjid), it must present the same survey report before the Civil Judge (Senior Division) of the fast track court.

Government counsel Amit Srivastava said, "We have provided reasons for the request to defer/adjourn the proceeding concerning opening and disclosure of the sealed survey report submitted by ASI for four weeks."

The ASI's application pointed out the concerns about potential rumours and misrepresentations in the public domain if the report is unsealed and disclosed before compliance with the High Court order.

Srivastava said that the ASI is diligently working on submitting a copy of the survey report in compliance with the High Court order, and for the smooth process, the report before the current court should remain sealed until then. He also highlighted the need for additional survey work in areas overlooked in the initial ASI survey.

The property on which Gyanvapi mosque exists comprises three plots -- 1930, 1931, and 1932. So far, ASI has covered areas in plot 1930. The Hindu side is demanding the survey on plots 1931 and 1932, along with the wuzukhana and the area beneath the central dome of the mosque.

New Delhi, Aug 4 (IANS) The Supreme Court on Friday refused to stay the Allahabad High Court’s recent order allowing the ASI to survey the premises of Gyanvapi mosque in Varanasi, except for 'wuzu khana'.

A bench, headed by CJI D.Y. Chandrachud and Justices J.B. Pardiwala and Manoj Mishra recorded the undertaking given by the Archaeological Survey of India that it will not make any excavation at the site during the survey.

It further directed that ASI will complete the survey process using non-invasive methodology without causing any damage to the existing structure.

The bench refused to entertain the request made by senior advocate Huzefa Ahmadi, appearing for the mosque management committee, that the ASI report be kept in a sealed cover until another pending plea pertaining to maintainability is decided by the Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court on Thursday agreed to hear today the plea filed by the Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee after the matter was mentioned for urgent listing.

The Allahabad High Court on Thursday had dismissed the plea moved by the Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee challenging the order passed by Varanasi district court directing the ASI to survey the barricaded area of the mosque premises, barring the sealed area.

A bench headed by Chief Justice Pritinkar Diwakar of the high court brushed aside the Mosque Committee’s apprehensions that the survey may result in damage to the structure. "The survey is required to do justice. Survey needs to be done with few conditions. Do survey, but without dredging," it had said. Earlier, the high court had directed the ASI not to carry out the survey until hearing in the case is completed. The Mosque Committee had told the high court that the historic structure may fall during the ASI survey. On the other hand, the ASI had maintained that radar mapping will not affect the structure of the mosque.

In an interim relief passed on July 24, the Supreme Court ordered that Varanasi court’s direction allowing an extensive survey of the Gyanvapi Masjid by the ASI will not be enforced till 5 p.m. on July 26. It asked the Masjid Committee to move the Allahabad High Court to challenge the order passed by the Varanasi district court. On July 21, the district court directed the ASI to ascertain whether the mosque was built over a pre-existing Hindu temple, holding that the scientific investigation is "necessary" for the "true facts" to come out.

The Varanasi court order sought a report from ASI up to August 4 when the matter was to be taken up next. The court, however, ordered the exclusion of the section which had remained sealed since the Supreme Court order in May 2022. The area under seal is where Hindus insist a Shivling has been found, while Muslims claim it is part of a fountain.

The district court order came on applications moved by four of the five Hindu plaintiffs who filed a suit in August 2021, demanding the right of unhindered worship at the Maa Shringar Gauri Sthal. The mosque management committee, in its reply, refuted that the mosque was built over a temple, maintaining the structure at the spot was always a mosque. It opposed the survey, saying such an exercise cannot be ordered to collect evidence.

In another plea filed under Article 136 of the Constitution, the Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee has challenged the order of the Allahabad High Court upholding maintainability of Hindu worshipper’s suit filed before the Varanasi court.

The Supreme Court recently restored this plea, which was inadvertently disposed of while an order staying survey of the Gyanvapi Masjid till 5 PM on July 26 was passed. It directed for revival of the pending appeal after Solicitor General Tushar Mehta also acknowledged the inadvertent error.

In its order passed on May 31, the High Court had dismissed the revision application filed against rejection of application under Order VII Rule 11 of the Code of Civil Procedure (CPC) by the District Judge. The district court had held that the suit seeking relief of the right to worship the deities located in the disputed property is maintainable and is not barred under the Places of Worship Act, 1991, Waqf Act, 1995, or the Uttar Pradesh Sri Kashi Vishwanath Temple Act.

Lucknow, July 25 (IANS) The Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee, which takes care of 22 mosques including the Gyanvapi Masjid in Varanasi, has moved the Allahabad High Court challenging the District Court's order passed on July 21 for the ASI survey of the Mosque Premises (except for Wuzukhana).

New Delhi, July 24 (IANS) The Supreme Court on Monday ordered that a Varanasi court’s direction allowing an extensive survey of the Gyanvapi mosque by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) will not be enforced till 5 p.m. on Wednesday, saying that “some breathing time” should be given to the Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee for appeal.

A bench comprising Chief Justice Of India D. Y. Chandrachud and Justices J. B. Pardiwala and Manoj Misra permitted the mosque management committee to move the Allahabad High Court to challenge the order passed by the Varanasi District Court.

The apex court passed the above direction after noting that the order of the district court was pronounced at 4.30 p.m. on July 21.

An ASI team had reached the mosque to carry on the survey on Monday.

Varanasi (UP), July 21 (IANS) A Varanasi court on Friday allowed the survey of the Gyanvapi mosque, located next to the Kashi Vishwanath temple.

New Delhi, April 6 (IANS) The Supreme Court on Thursday agreed to list a plea in connection with the Gyanvapi mosque dispute on April 14.

Senior advocate Huzefa Ahmadi, representing the Committee of Management Anjuman Intezamia Masjid, mentioned the matter before a bench headed by Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud and comprising Justice J.B. Pardiwala.

Ahmadi requested the court to take up the matter soon citing the month of Ramzan, which is regarded holy by the believers and submitted that the court had passed an order in the matter and the area was sealed, and the bathrooms behind it were also sealed.

The bench said the matter is coming later this month and it could list the plea along with it. Ahmadi requested for an earlier date to hear the matter. The bench asked Ahmadi to file an interlocutory application in this regard and it will take it up on April 14.

In November last year, the apex court had extended the protection of the area inside Gyanvapi mosque where a "Shivling" was found till further orders.

It had said the interim order passed in May last year, in connection with the protection of the area inside Gyanvapi mosque where a "Shivling" was found, during a survey, will remain in operation till further orders.

On May 17 last year, the Supreme Court said the area within Gyanvapi mosque where Shivling has been found need to be protected, but there should be no restriction on Muslims entering the mosque to offer namaz.

On May 20, the Supreme Court transferred the proceedings of the suit by Hindu parties seeking worshipping rights at the Gyanvapi mosque to the district judge in Varanasi. However, the apex court added that its May 17 interim order directing protection of the 'Shivling', which was purportedly discovered during the survey in Varanasi's Gyanvapi mosque, and free access to Muslims for offering namaz should remain operational for eight weeks, after district judge's decision in the matter.

On November 17 last year, a Varanasi court found the suit filed by Hindu parties seeking possessory rights over Gyanvapi Mosque maintainable. The Committee of Management of Anjuman Intezamia Masjid challenged this decision before the high court.