A Fast-Track Civil Court in Varanasi on Monday refused to pass an order on a suit seeking ad-interim relief to allow Hindu prayers inside the Gyanvapi mosque till the main suit in the dispute is decided.
In the ongoing Gyanvapi mosque-Kashi Vishwanath temple dispute, the court of Civil Judge (Senior Division) (FTC) Mahendra Kumar Pandey heard the plea and directed the plaintiffs to serve a copy of their suit and all relevant documents to the defendants and asked them to file their objection to it. The court has now posted the matter for hearing on July 8.
The court was hearing a suit filed by one Kiran Singh, seeking that Hindus be allowed to pray inside the mosque, claiming the discovery of a "Shivling" inside it. The suit also sought an injunction, asking that the defendants not stop Hindu worshippers from visiting the mosque and offering prayers.
‘Copy of suit not served’
After hearing the plaintiffs, the court heard submissions by the Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee and other defendants, who said that they had not been served a copy of the suit.
Senior Advocate Mumtaz Ahmed, one of the lawyers for the Masjid Committee, said that they asked for a copy of the suit and all relevant documents during the hearing.
The court held that passing on order on the suit without giving the defendants an opportunity to make their submissions would not be in the interest of justice, thus posting the matter in July to hear the defendants in the case.
In addition to arraying the mosque management as one of the defendants, the suit also names the District Magistrate of Varanasi, police authorities in Varanasi and the Uttar Pradesh government as defendants.
Meanwhile, another Hindu outfit — Kendriya Brahman Mahasabha — has filed an impleadment application before the Fast-Track Court, seeking to be arrayed as a plaintiff in the matter.
