Varanasi: The ruling of the Gyanvapi case was to be heard by the Supreme Court today. An order to protect the “shivling” found in the Gyanvapi Mosque premises in Varanasi was passed back in May this year. The order was to expire on November 12. But before that, today the SC has extended its order to further seal and protect the area where the shivling was found. In line with the judgment of the Supreme Court, the area is to be sealed and protected until further notice.
The Gyanvapi case started when a “shivling” like structure was found near the Gyanvapi mosque premises by some Hindus. The Muslims of the area said that it was a fountain base that the Hindus are wrongly portraying as a “shivling” whereas the Hindus demanded to worship and pray around the structure that they claimed to be a “shivling”. This conflict led to the filing of petitions by both the communities living in the area. And in May, the Supreme Court ordered the District Magistrate to protect the area inside the Gyanvapi mosque where the structure was found until further notice.
Apart from the SC, a fast-track court is also hearing the case. The verdict of which was due on Nov 8 but it has been delayed till Nov 14 now. In this aspect of the case, the Hindus are seeking permission to worship the shivling structure that has been found on the mosque premises but they are not given permission yet. Given the sensitivity and complexity of the case, the case was transferred to a district judge from a civil judge by the Supreme Court. The Hindus have to wait till Nov 14 to get the judgment on worshipping the shivling structure found at the mosque premises.