The Allahabad High Court will continue to hear on Tuesday a Gyanvapi masjid management's revision petition challenging a Varanasi court order on the maintainability of a plea seeking permission to offer regular prayers to idols of deities in the mosque complex.
As per the date fixed by the high court, the hearing in the case resumed on Monday. However, after a brief hearing, Justice J J Munir directed to put up this case on December 6 for further hearing.
On November 30, the high court had fixed December 5 for further hearing in the case.
The Anjuman Intezamia Masjid, the Gyanvapi mosque management committee, had challenged the Varanasi court order rejecting its objection to the maintainability of the suit filed by five Hindu women who sought permission to worship Shringar Gauri and other deities whose idols are located on an outer wall of the mosque.
The district judge of Varanasi had on September 12 dismissed the plea filed under Order 7 Rule 11 of the Civil Procedure Code.
While rejecting the mosque management committee's plea, the Varanasi district judge had observed that the suit of the plaintiffs (five Hindu women) is not barred by the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991, The Waqf Act 1995, and the UP Shri Kashi Vishwanath Temple Act, 1983 as was being claimed by the mosque committee.
The present revision petition has been filed by the Anjuman Intezamia Masjid before the high court challenging the September 12 order on the ground that the suit before the Varanasi court is barred under the Places of Worship Act, 1991, which provides that no suit can be filed seeking conversion of any religious place as existed on August 15, 1947.
