The Supreme Court will hear the Kashi Vishwanath-Gyanvapi mosque dispute on Thursday (July 22). A a special bench of Justices DY Chandrachud, Surya Kant and PS Narasimha will hear the matter about a recently-found structure in masjid premises. The matter is listed for hearing in the apex court at around 2 pm tomorrow.
According to reports, the special bench will also hear petition seeking permission to worship the shivling fond inside the mosque premises.
The developments comes days after a petition was moved in the top court seeking direction to allow Hindus to perform religious practices/rituals at the ‘Shivling’ found at the disputed site.
According to Rajesh Mani Tripathi, President of the Shri Krishan Janm Bhumi Mukti Dal, who filed the plea, petitioner has come before the top court seeking permission to offer puja in the month of Shravana, commencing from July 12 to August 12. The petition also seeks to exercise the rights of “freedom of conscience and free profession, practice and propagation of religion” as guaranteed under Article 25 of the Indian Constitution.
“It is submitted that the applicant wishes to perform their religious practices as guaranteed under the Constitution of India on the ‘Shiv Linga’ found during the survey conducted in pursuance to the order passed by the concerned court of Varanasi. It is a matter of record that the said ‘Shiv Linga’ found during the survey has duly been protected vide the order passed by the concerned court,” the plea read.
A Varanasi court in April ordered a survey of the dispute site inside the mosque after a petition was moved by five Hindu women seeking permission for daily worship of Hindu deities whose idols were found on an outer wall of the mosque.
The Hindu side claims that a Shivling was found during the videography survey. However, the Muslim side contends that the structure was part of the fountain at the mosque’s wazukhana area.
(With inputs from Nipun Sehgal)