Allahabad HC adjourns hearing on plea challenging suit seeking 'restoration' of temple at Gyanvapi mosque site

Prayagraj (UP): The Allahabad High Court on Friday adjourned hearing on a petition filed by the Anjuman Intezamia Committee challenging the maintainability of a suit seeking 'restoration' of a temple at the site of the Gyanvapi mosque in Varanasi.

The matter was listed before the bench of Justice Rohit Ranjan Agrawal. When the matter was called for hearing, a request was made on behalf of the Anjuman Intezamia Committee as well as from the other side to adjourn the case.

The court fixed the next hearing on December 5.

The Anjuman Intezamia Committee counsel, SFA Naqvi, said the petition against maintainability of a suit seeking 'restoration' of a temple at the site of the mosque also challenges an April 8, 2021, Varanasi court direction to the Archaeological Survey of India to conduct a comprehensive survey of the mosque.

Earlier, the then Chief Justice Pritinkar Diwaker by an order dated August 28, 2023, had transferred the case from Justice Prakash Padia to himself saying that 'single judge continued with the hearing of these cases for more than two years even though it had no jurisdiction in the matter as per the roster'.

The chief justice retired on November 22 and after this, the case was listed before Justice Agrawal.