Gyanvapi Mosque Row: Hindus file plea in SC to perform religious rituals at ‘Shivling’
15 July, 2022 | Pravina Srivastava
Hindus have requested permission from the Supreme Court to conduct religious rites or activities at the 'Shivling' at the contentious Gyanvapi site
Hindus have requested permission from the Supreme Court to conduct religious rites or activities at the ‘Shivling’ at the contentious Gyanvapi site, which is close to Varanasi’s well-known Kashi Vishwanath Temple.
According to the appeal submitted by Rajesh Mani Tripathi, president of the Shri Krishana Janma Bhumi Mukti Sthal, Hindus may be permitted to do puja and exercise their rights because the month of “Shravana” has begun.
It is true that the month of Shravana is observed to offer puja to Lord Shiva, and the petitioner came before the court seeking permission to practise his prayer in the month of Shravana to offer puja, exercise the rights of “freedom of conscience and free profession, practise, and propagation of racial and religious beliefs in accordance with Hindu customs, as provided under Article 25 of the Constitution of India.
Additionally, the petitioner stated that they wanted to perform religious rituals on the “Shivling” discovered during the survey carried out in accordance with the Varanasi court’s ruling, as is permitted by the Indian Constitution.
On May 20, the Supreme Court issued an order transferring the civil judge’s civil case involving prayer at the Gyanvapi mosque to the Varanasi District Judge.
In order to protect the area where the Shivling was discovered and to allow Muslims access for namaz, it had been ordered that the interim order from May 17 remain in effect until the maintainability of the suit is decided and then for an additional eight weeks to allow parties to pursue legal remedies.
According to the request made by the Committee of Management of Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Varanasi, the District Judge should determine whether the civil lawsuit filed in Gyanvapi-Kashi Vishwanath on a matter of priority may be maintained.
However, Allahabad High Court’s judgement allowing a court-appointed commissioner to visit, perform a survey, and take video of the Gyanvapi mosque, to which both Hindus and Muslims have claimed the right to worship, was appealed by the Committee that oversees the mosque at the highest court.