The Allahabad High Court will resume on Friday the hearing on a petition filed by the Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee challenging the maintainability of a suit seeking “restoration” of a temple at the site of the Gyanvapi mosque.
On December 5, the matter was listed before the bench of Justice Rohit Ranjan Agrawal. When it was called for hearing, the court adjourned the matter and posted it to December 7.
After hearing the parties concerned on Thursday, Justice Rohit Ranjan Agrawal adjourned the hearing in the case and posted it for hearing on December 8.
By an order dated August 28, the then chief justice Pritinkar Diwaker had transferred the case from Justice Prakash Padia to himself, saying “a single judge continued with the hearing of these cases for more than two years, even though he had no jurisdiction in the matter as per the roster”.
Justice Diwaker had further said the decision to withdraw the case from the single-judge bench was taken on the administrative side in the interest of judicial propriety, judicial discipline and transparency in the listing of cases.
Justice Diwakar retired on November 22 and the case was listed before Justice Agrawal on Tuesday.
The Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee (AIMC), which manages the Gyanvapi mosque, has challenged the maintainability of a suit filed before a Varanasi court in which the plaintiff has sought restoration of a temple at the site where the mosque stands.
AIMC’s counsel S F A Naqvi said the petition also challenges a Varanasi court direction to the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to conduct a comprehensive survey of the mosque. The order was passed on April 8, 2021.
