In the ongoing Gyanvapi mosque-Kashi Vishwanath temple dispute, lead plaintiff Rakhi Singh on Thursday concluded submissions opposing the Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee’s application challenging the maintainability of their suit.
This brought to close the Hindu side’s arguments supporting the maintainability of their suit before Varanasi district judge A.K. Vishvesha, who is hearing the matter currently.
Advocate Shivam Gaur, one of the lawyers appearing for Ms. Singh, said, “We reiterated our arguments on why the masjid panel’s application does not stand and submitted that our suit in the case should be tried.”
Following this, the masjid panel’s lawyers sought time to file their rejoinder. The next hearing is on July 25 when the masjid panel will defend their position on why the suit should be dismissed.
The suit referred to is the one filed by Ms. Singh and four other women, seeking the right to pray at a Hindu shrine adjacent to the Gyanvapi mosque premises all year round.
Advocates Vishnu Shankar Jain, his father Hari Shankar Jain and their team, are representing the four other women plaintiffs in the suit and had previously submitted their position on the masjid panel’s application under Order VII Rule 11 of the Code of Civil Procedure.
The masjid panel had argued before the district court that the suit is not maintainable because special laws like the Places of Worship Act and the Waqf Act bar the suit.
