NEW DELHI: Efforts to explore an out-of-court settlement in three major religious site disputes in Uttar Pradesh have failed to gain pace, with parties in the Gyanvapi, Sri Krishna Janmabhoomi-Shahi Eidgah and the Sambhal Shahi Jama Masjid cases insisting that the courts adjudicate them.
The Supreme Court proposed these cases be heard in a special Lok Adalat from August 21 to 23. The Samadhan Samaroh 2026, announced in April, seeks voluntary settlement of pending SC cases through mediation before specially constituted Lok Adalat sittings. It also includes an online portal and coordination centre to facilitate settlements.
“These are not disputes that can be resolved through a Lok Adalat or mediation,” a counsel for a Hindu-side petitioner said. The mosque management committee said mediation is not an appropriate mechanism for their case.
Significantly, the SC in 2019 had ordered a court-monitored mediation to resolve the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute.
At the heart of the Gyanvapi case are allegations by Hindu petitioners that the Gyanvapi Mosque in Varanasi was constructed on the ruins of the Kashi Vishwanath temple razed during the Mughal period.
Multiple lawsuits are seeking permission to offer prayers within the mosque complex and have questioned the applicability of the Places of Worship Act, 1991. The Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee maintains that the mosque is covered by statutory protection under the 1991 law.
The dispute over Sambhal’s Jama Masjid arose when a civil court ordered a survey of the mosque after Hindu litigants claimed it was constructed on the site of the Harihar temple. The court-mandated survey sparked violent clashes in Sambhal in November last, leaving several dead and injured.
The Sri Krishna Janmabhoomi-Shahi Eidgah dispute centres on claims that the mosque is located on land believed to be the birthplace of Lord Krishna. The mosque committee has opposed the claims, citing the Places of Worship Act.
