Supreme Court hearing begins regarding the Gyanvapi case today (01/04/2024) by a bench of Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud, Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra. The Gyanvapi mosque is a disputed area claimed by both Hindus and Muslims as their respective religious places, the supreme court will be hearing both sides today to decide who the land belongs to.
The court had earlier given the orders for the Hindus to conduct Puja in the “Vyas Tekhana” and termed the earlier restrictions as illegal. These orders were further challenged by the Anjuman Intezamia Masajid Committee and the plea was accepted by the Supreme Court.
The Gyanvapi Case
The Gyanvapi Mosque situated next to the Kashi Vishwanath Temple is believed to have been built on a temple demolished by the Mughals during their rule. The Hindus also claim that after the region came under the control of the nawabs of Awadh, temples weren’t allowed to be rebuilt.
This belief is often contested by many, but the Hindus claim ownership of the place as it is considered a sacred place related to lord Shiva.
The historical layers continue as the remains of the non-Muslim structure can still be seen today in the mosque. One such is the western wall which supports the Islamic Dome built by Aurangzeb.
Earlier development in the Gyanvapi case
This current plea is against the high court’s February 26 decision. In the Feb 26 decision, the Allahabad high court dismissed the plea and held that the government’s decision in 1993 to stop rituals in the “Vyas Tekhana” – located in the southern cellar of the Gyanvapi mosque was illegal.
A petitioner in the case claims that his maternal grandfather used to perform the prayers in the Vyas Tekhana but was later stopped by the Mulayam Singh Yadav’s Uttar Pradesh Government. The order on 17th January declared the District Magistrate as the recipient of the “Vyas Tekhana”. Another order on the 31st of January permitted Puja in the Tekhana.
The 26 February decision also reinstated the 17th and 31st January orders and permitted the authorities to continue puja in the Tekhana.
Currently, a Hindu priest nominated by the Kashi Vishwanath Temple is heading the prayers in the Tekhana.
The ASI report
The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) suggested that the Gyanvapi has parts of the temple which was destroyed earlier by Aurangzeb and were modified and reused.
Key highlights from the report:
- Fragments of statues of Hindu deities were found in the mosque complex.
- Several bases of Shivlings were found.
- 32 inscriptions in Devanagari, Telugu and Kannada scripts.
- Trident and Swastik marks
- Persian inscriptions
Updates on the case
Anjuman Intezamia Masajid Committee’s side
In the ongoing case, according to LawBeat – Senior advocate Huzefa Ahmadi has raised concerns about the ongoing puja.
He claimed that nothing happened for 30 years so how can some ritual be started by a judicial order. He also raised concerns over Hindus passing through the mosque premises to go to the Tekhana because it is located in the south while the entry to the premises is from the north.
He also raised concern regarding the other 3 applications pending which also demand similar actions and this raises serious apprehension as the mosque is being taken over bit by bit.
The Hindu Side
Senior advocate Shyam Divan was from the Hindu side. He said that the Vyas family has the right to do Puja in the Tekhana as approved by the other courts.
He informed the court that all actions were according to the court’s directions and didn’t warrant any interference at this stage.
The case is currently going on in the court and will decide how the history unfolds.
