New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday agreed to list for hearing on April 21 a plea of the Hindu side seeking consolidation of all suits pending in a Varanasi court pertaining to the Gyanvapi Mosque-Kashi Vishwanath dispute.
A bench of Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud and Justices PS Narasimha and JB Pardiwala said it will list the matter for hearing on April 21 when the other matter will come up for hearing.
Advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain mentioned the matter before the bench saying the Varanasi district court was not passing an order on the issue.
Jain said that the district judge of Varanasi has deferred five times the decision on a plea seeking clubbing of all civil suits relating to the dispute. The bench then said that it will list the matter for hearing on April 21.
On May 17, 2022, the Supreme Court by an interim order directed the authorities to protect the area where the 'Shivling' was found and granted access to Muslims for namaz.
On February 8 this year, the apex court extended its order till further orders. Varanasi district court on September 12 2022, had held that the suit was not barred under the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991 and rejected the application filed by the Muslim side under Order 7 Rule 11 (rejection of plaints).
It had dismissed the plea of the Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee that manages Gyanvapi mosque questioning the maintainability of the suit filed by Hindu women. (with ANI inputs)
