VARANASI: After hearing both the sides Anjuman Intezamia Masajid (AIM) and Hindu petitioners in the petition challenging the maintainability of the plea filed by five Hindu women seeking right to worship Shringar Gauri on Gyanvapi mosque premises, the Varanasi district court, on Monday, posted the matter for next hearing on July 4, after the summer break.
Judge Dr AK Vishvesha heard the AIM petition. On the last hearing on May 24, the Varanasi district court had decided to hear the AIM petition over the maintainability of the plea of five Hindu women.
On April 26, the Varanasi civil judge (senior division) had ordered a survey of the Gyanvapi mosque premises by a court-appointed commission.
The survey was conducted in the presence of the members of both sides, lawyers and court commissioners from May 14-16.
During Monday’s arguments, AIM advocates argued that the plaintiffs had sought rights for the worship of Shringar Gauri in an individual capacity and did not represent the entire Hindu community.
So their plea was not maintainable. The advocates read paragraphs from 13 to 39 of the petition and kept raising their objections.
Veteran advocate of women plaintiffs, Harishankar Jain, said that during its submissions, AIM also referred to the case of Deen Mohammad vs State Secretary of 1937 in which the court had given the decision on the basis of oral testimony and documents that the Gyanvapi mosque complex was Muslim Waqf property.
He said that the argument by AIM advocates could not be completed and it would continue on July 4.
The plaintiffs were given the sealed survey report and video over an undertaking that they would not make it public, said sources.