A district court in Varanasi on Tuesday said that it will hear an application by the Gyanvapi mosque committee challenging the maintainability of the suit filed by Hindu plaintiffs on May 26, Bar and Bench reported.
The plaintiffs have claimed that an image of the Hindu deity Shringar Gauri exists at the site. They had initially approached a civil judge in Varanasi seeking permission to offer daily prayers at the site. However, on May 20, the Supreme Court ordered the transfer of the proceedings to the court of the district judge in Varanasi.
On May 12, the civil court had ordered a survey commission to carry out a video survey of the site and present a detailed report. The survey commission submitted the report on May 19.
On Tuesday, the court directed both the Hindu and Muslim litigants to file any objections within seven days to the report of a commission that carried out a video survey of the mosque.
The court on Monday had said that it would decide on whether to invite objections to the report of the survey commission or to decide on the application of the Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee. The mosque committed has filed the application under Order 7 Rule 11 of the Code of Civil Procedure.
According to the order, a petition can be dismissed if it does not show a cause of action or is barred by law.
A court-appointed surveyor reported that an oval object had been found in the tank of the Muslim place of worship. Hindu petitioners claimed it is a Shivling, a symbolic representation of Hindu deity Shiva. Muslims, however, say that the object is actually a fountain.
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