Gyanvapi row: Plea over replacing cloth seal of 'wazukhana' to be heard on Dec 3

Varanasi, Nov 20 (PTI) The Varanasi district court on Thursday fixed December 3 as the next date of hearing on a plea seeking replacement of the cloth tied over the sealed lock of the 'wazukhana' (ablution area) inside the Gyanvapi mosque complex.

Lawyer Madan Mohan Yadav, representing the petitioners, said District Judge Sanjiv Shukla fixed December 3 as the next date of hearing on the matter.

He said a hearing is underway in the Supreme Court on the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991.

In December last year, the Supreme Court had directed lower courts that, as long as the matter is under consideration before it, no new cases should be admitted nor should any order be passed that could affect the proceedings in the apex court, Yadav added.

The wazukhana area of the Gyanvapi mosque was sealed on May 16-17, 2022, following a court-ordered survey conducted by the Varanasi civil judge (senior division) in accordance with the Supreme Court's directions.

The petitioners claimed that the cloth tied around the sealed lock has deteriorated over time.

To prevent any untoward incident, the Hindu side filed a petition on August 8 seeking permission to replace it.

The Gyanvapi complex, located adjacent to the Kashi Vishwanath temple in Varanasi, has been at the centre of a long-running legal dispute between Hindu and Muslim parties over claims of the existence of a temple-like structure beneath the mosque. PTI COR ABN ARB ARB