Gyanvapi case hearing has been postponed by the High Court until December 1

Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court, Pritinker Diwaker, has postponed the hearing on a series of petitions filed by the Anjuman Intezamia Masajid Committee (AIMC) and others to challenge the admissibility of a suit seeking the restoration of a temple at the location currently occupied by the Gyanvapi mosque. The hearing has been adjourned until December 1 .

In these petitions, the petitioners have also contested a Varanasi court’s directive, which ordered the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to conduct a comprehensive survey of the mosque premises situated next to the Kashi Vishwanath temple.

The AIMC has challenged the suit filed by Hindu worshippers seeking the right to worship in the Gyanvapi mosque, arguing that it is barred by the Places of Worship Act (Special Provisions) Act, 1991. This 1991 Act prohibits the conversion of any place of worship and mandates the preservation of the religious character of such places as it existed on August 15, 1947.

It is worth noting that on November 3, 2023, the Supreme Court declined to intervene in the order issued by the Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court, who transferred the Gyanvapi mosque title dispute cases from another judge to his court.

Previously, in an order dated August 11, the Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court had reclaimed jurisdiction over the cases from a single judge who had heard the matter and reserved judgment. The Chief Justice asserted that, in accordance with the high court’s rules, when a judgment in a case had not been delivered, he had the authority, as the “master of the roster,” to either assign the case to another bench or hear it himself.

The AIMC had challenged these orders by filing a special leave petition (SLP) before the Supreme Court. However, on November 3, the Supreme Court refused to interfere with the orders passed by the Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court transferring the Gyanvapi mosque title dispute cases to his court from another judge.

It is important to note that the AIMC, responsible for managing the Gyanvapi mosque, has contested the validity of a suit filed in a Varanasi court in which the plaintiff sought the restoration of a temple at the site currently occupied by the Gyanvapi mosque.