The Allahabad High Court on August 8 dismissed as withdrawn a public interest litigation (PIL) petition which sought direction to the Uttar Pradesh government to seal the entire premises of the Gyanvapi mosque so that non-Hindus cannot enter and damage religious signs or symbols of the Hindu community allegedly present inside it.
The petition — filed by Rakhi Singh, one of the plaintiffs in the Gyanvapi mosque worship rights suit of 2022 that is pending before a Varanasi Court; Jitendra Singh Visen, the self-styled chief of Vishwa Vedic Sanatan Sangh (VVSS); Siddha Nath Singh; Suraj Singh; and Anisha Shahi — was listed before a Bench of Chief Justice Pritinker Diwaker and Justice Ashutosh Srivastava.
As arguments began on Tuesday, the court asked counsel of the petitioners how it was possible for the court to ban the entry on non-Hindus inside a mosque. The court also questioned that if the plaintiff was already part of the main suit pertaining to worship rights inside the mosque which is pending in a lower court, then why the plaintiff hasn’t amended the plaint there, and filed for an injunction.
Also read: Explained | Gyanvapi and the Places of Worship Act
“How can you say that only non-Hindus will damage the Hindu signs and symbols,” the High Court asked.
It asked how damage can be caused when the survey being conducted by the Archaeological Survey Of India (ASI) inside the mosque was being videographed.
With minutes of the arguments, the court asked if the petitioner would like to withdraw the plea or the court should write its order on merits. Counsel for Rakhi Singh, Saurabh Tiwari, said he would withdraw the plea.
Advocate Tiwari, while talking to the media, said he would now approach the Varanasi district court as directed by the High Court.
