The batch of civil suits pending before the Varanasi court, seeking right to worship in the Gyanvapi mosque and the restoration of the temple at the site, are “not barred by the Places of Worship Act of 1991”, said the Allahabad High Court on Monday. The court also noted that the Gyanvapi premises can either have a Hindu religious character or a Muslim religious character, but can’t have dual character.
The observations were made by the Bench of Justice Rohit Ranjan Agrawal, while rejecting a plea filed by Anjuman Intezamia Masajid Committee, which manages the Gyanvapi mosque. The committee had challenged the suits filed by the Hindu petitioners by claiming that such suits are prohibited by the Places of Worship Act (Special Provisions) Act, 1991
The Hindu petitioners have claimed that part of an old temple of Lord Vishweshwar lies at the centre of the Gyanvapi compound. They have also pleaded that the disputed site is an abode of “Swayambhu Lord Vishweshwar” and cannot be a building of another faith.
