The Gyanvapi Mosque complex.
Credit: PTI Photo
The Allahabad High Court on Wednesday decided to continue hearing the matter pertaining to the Gyanvapi mosque dispute on February 12.
The HC will hear the Muslim Committee's plea challenging the Varanasi High Court order in the Gyanvapi mosque case from 10 am that day.
The Varanasi court had allowed regular worship to be conducted by a 'pujari' nominated by the Kashi Vishwanath temple trust and the petitioner who claimed his grandfather offered puja before the idols in the cellar up to December 1993.
On Tuesday, the Allahabad High Court asked the Muslim side to prove their possession of the Mosque's southern cellar in 1993.
Arguing for the plaintiff, Hari Shankar Jain said that the Hindu side performed daily prayers in the mosque's cellar till 1993 and yearly after that.
"Gyanvapi Mosque committee never objected to the same. The continuity of Pooja is there" he said.
Counsel for the Muslim side, S F A Naqvi denied Jain's claims and stated that the cellar was being used as a store room.
"No religious rituals happened there, that doesn't give them any rights. It was used as a storeroom. Nothing more", he said.
He also claimed that the Hindu side had surrendered it right to worship in the cellar in 1993.
Naqvi further questioned the January 31 decision of the now-retired Varanasi court judge.
"It is not mentioned in the order that it is being passed on its own motion, the order is in the air. The order of the DJ is without jurisdiction", he said.
Naqvi also questioned the presence of the Advocate General in the quote saying, "why is he sitting here when the state is not a party?", to which the judge answered saying that he is an 'officer of the court.
Agrawal also accused him of going against the court but Naqvi outrightly denied doing so.
"I cannot say anything against the court", he said.