A local court in Varanasi on Wednesday entertained a plea filed by 5 Hindu women seeking worship of the deities inside the Gyanvapi Temple Complex.
The court sought responses from the UP Government, Gyanvapi Mosque Committee and Board of Trustees of Shri Kashi Vishwanath Temple. The plea filed by the 5 women stated that the temple complex was converted into a Mosque during the Mughal reign.The plea, led by a Hindu woman, Rakhi Singh, said that the devotees have the right to worship the deities visible or invisible, inside the complex. The plea also states that there are images of Maa Ganga, Lord Hanuman, Shri Gauri Shankar, Shri Mahakaleshwar, Shri Maheshwar, Goddess Srinagar Gauri and other deities within the mosque complex.
The petitioners said security arrangement should be made by the UP Government and District Administration to facilitate daily rituals by devotees for the deities. The plea also adds that if any kind of damage is caused to the deities then it would be considered as a very huge loss for the Hindu community and would affect law and order situation of the State. The plea also stated that the disputed land had already stood vested in the deity Adi Visheshwar lacs of years ago and deity is Dejure owner, however the Muslims without creating any waqf and having ownership of land, forcibly, without any authority of law raised a construction and termed the same as Gyanvapi Mosque.
The advocates Hari Shankar Jain and Vishnu Shankar Jain argued in the court that the Original Kashi Vishwanath Temple Complex was destroyed by Aurangzeb during his rule. Jain further added that the defendants should be ordered not to interfere in the fundamental religious rights of the plaintiffs which included decorating idols of Lord Ganesh, Lord Hanuman, Devi Gauri and Nandi in the temple. Also a request has been made by him to the court to pass a temporary injunction directing defendants not to damage the idols.
The Judge, set a date for the resolution of objections on September 10 and said, “ In the present case, the Government of UP has been made a defendant by the plaintiffs. Therefore, it is necessary to hear the defendant. The plaintiffs should plead for notice on the defendants within three days.”
In February 2021, a plea was filed to allow the worshipping of deities in the Mosque complex. In April 2021, court allowed an ASI Survey of the mosque. A petition seeking stay on the survey was later filed in the Allahabad High Court.