Advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain and the Hindu Paksha heaved a sigh of relief on 11 November when the Supreme Court, on their plea, said that the interim order dated 17 May, 2022, will continue until further orders.
It is well known that on 17 May, 2022, the Supreme Court ordered that the Shivalinga (objects) found during the survey of the Gyanvapi Mosque in Varanasi be protected. The Interim Order was due to expire on 12 November. The counsel for the Hindu Paksha filed a petition before the Supreme Court seeking further extension of that order.
On 17 May, 2022, the Supreme Court issued an order protecting the Shivalinga, an object discovered during a survey of the Gyanvapi Mosque in Varanasi. This order was due to expire on 12 November. The lawyer for Hindu Paksha filed a plea before the Supreme Court seeking the extension of that order.
The bench, composed of CJI Justice DY Chandrachud, Justice Suryakant, and Justice PS Narasimha, has extended the protection until further order.
The Supreme Court allowed the Hindu Paksha to move an application before the Varanasi district judge for consolidation of all the lawsuits filed on the Gyanvapi matter.
The Bench directed the Hindu Paksha’s Counsel to file their replies within three weeks on the appeal filed by the management committee of the Anjuman Intezamia Masjid that challenged the Allahabad High Court order on the appointment of a survey commissioner.
This year, on 17 May, the top court passed an interim order directing the district magistrate of Varanasi to ensure the protection of the area inside the Gyanvapi-Shringar Gauri complex where the “Shivling” was found in the survey.
Three days later, on 20 May, the Supreme Court, in view of the ‘complexities’ and ‘sensitivity’ of the case, transferred the case from the Civil Judge (Senior Division) to the District Judge of Varanasi, and said that 25–30 judicial officers with more than one year of experience can handle the case.
Along with safeguarding the area where the ‘Shivalinga’ has been found, the Supreme Court has also allowed the Muslims to offer prayers in the mosque premises, saying the maintainability of the case has not been decided by the district judge.
Earlier, the Supreme Court had agreed to set up a bench to hear the Gyanvapi-Kashi Vishwanath case, with the Hindu Paksha seeking to extend the order by which the area where a Shivalinga was found in the Gyanvapi complex was protected. When asked about the future of the petition of the Masjid Committee challenging the hearing of the petition of the Hindu side, the counsel said it was dismissed by the lower court and an appeal is pending in the Allahabad High Court.
