Gyanvapi Case: Hindu plaintiffs against out-of-court settlement idea

In its response, the mosque committee said it would discuss the offer with the committee office-bearers whenever it meets next.

SM Yasin, joint secretary, Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee, said: “Right now, we are busy with the survey (of the mosque complex) and court hearings. Whenever the committee meets next, we will discuss this invitation to hold talks.”

Advocate Hari Shankar Jain, who is representing the four women petitioners, however, said: “Without naming anyone, I would like to say that anyone who is talking of a compromise or out-of-court settlement, then that is baseless. No devotee or Hindu has a right to reach a settlement on a piece of land belonging to God. All such statements and propositions are to spread misinformation and confusion. This is being done for the purpose of politics. There is no weightage in such statements. No plaintiff or lawyer has the right to reach a compromise for a land that belongs to God. Legally, this is barred.”

“The entire Hindu community is ready not to give up that land, and whatever happens in this matter will be done in the courtroom,” Jain added.

Speaking with The Indian Express on Thursday, Vishen said, “Our proposition was made following Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s recent statement in which he said that the Muslim side should hand over the premises to the Hindus. Hence, we reached out to the Muslim side to hold talks outside the court. If something can be worked out, then that is good too.”

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath recently said that the Muslim community should come forward to admit that “a historic mistake” had happened at the Gyanvapi site, and propose a “solution”.

On Jain’s statement that any talks or settlement was “legally barred”, Vishen said, “We are not giving the land to the Muslim side. There is no harm in holding talks. Who is he? He is a paid employee. What is his standing?”

In June, fresh cracks emerged among the Hindu petitioners of the Gyanvapi-Kashi Vishwanathan cases on the Varanasi district court’s order of consolidating all the seven-related suits and hearing them together.

Among the five Hindu women petitioners who had filed a petition in a local court of Varanasi last year seeking the right to worship Maa Shringar Gauri on the outer wall of the mosque complex located next to the Kashi Vishwanath temple, four – Laxmi Devi, Sita Sahu, Manju Vyas, and Rekha Pathak – all residents of Varanasi, were in favour of the consolidation of seven suits, while one, Rakhi Singh, who is the niece of Vishen, was opposed to it.

Vishen alleged that consolidation of the seven cases would weaken the “cause of the Hindus in order to get the right over the whole Gyanvapi mosque”.

Vishen’s wife Kiran is a petitioner on behalf of Lord Adi Vishweshwar in a separate case related to the Gyanvapi issue.

Meanwhile, the ASI team on Thursday continued its scientific survey of the Gyanvapi mosque for the fourteenth day. The survey ordered by the Varanasi District Court is being conducted to determine “whether the present structure was constructed over a pre-existing structure of a Hindu temple”.