Mathura: A petitioner in the Shri Krishna Janmasthan-Shahi Idgah Masjid dispute has sought permission from a local court to perform a Hindu ritual inside the mosque, claiming that the sanctum sanctorum of the temple was located there. The petitioner submitted an application in the court of the Civil Judge on Monday seeking permission for 'purification' of the sanctum sanctorum of the Keshav Dev temple, which he claimed was inside the mosque, his counsel said.'The petitioner, Dinesh Chandra Sharma, wants to revive the sanctity of sanctum sanctorum inside Shahi Masjid Idgah by purifying the divine place with holy water of Ganga and Yamuna,' Deepak Sharma, the counsel for petitioner said. Dinesh Chandra Sharma, the National Treasurer of Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha, on May 19 had submitted a similar application in the court of Civil Judge senior division Mathura, he said. Through the application, Sharma had sought the permission for performing 'abhishek' (anointment) of Laddu Gopal in the Katra Keshav Dev temple claiming it to be inside the mosque, he said. Both his applications are pending in the court here for disposal, the counsel said. According to him, his client has submitted these applications seeking early disposal of the suit. Sharma had filed a suit on February 26, 2021 in the court of Civil judge Senior division Mathura seeking shifting of Shahi Masjid Idgah constructed on a part of the 13.37 acre land of Katra Keshav Dev temple. Uttar Pradesh Sunni Central Waqf board, Intezamia committee Shahi Masjid Idgah, Sri Krishna Janmasthan Seva Sansthan, and Srikrishna Janmabhumi trust, are the defendants in the lawsuit. Several suits have been filed so far in the matter with a common prayer of shifting of Shahi Masjid Idgah, which has been claimed to have been constructed in the temple premise. In a few of the suits, a plea has also been made for sending an advocate commissioner or an ASI team to ascertain the presence of signs of Hindu temples inside the mosque.—PTI

A petitioner in the Shri Krishna Janmasthan-Shahi Idgah Masjid dispute has sought permission from a local court to perform a Hindu ritual inside the mosque, claiming that the sanctum sanctorum of the temple was located there.

Hindu petitioner seeks court nod to 'purify' Mathura's Shahi Idgah

Uttar Pradesh

Varanasi: Hindu women plaintiffs who have filed a civil suit before the Varanasi court seeking declaration and asserting the right to darshan and worship Hindu deities whose idols are located on an outer wall of the Gyanvapi mosque in Varanasi has referred to stand taken by the British government in a 1936 suit seeking it to be declared as Waqf property. In an affidavit filed through advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain, three of the five women devotees said that in 1936, one Deen Mohammed has filed a civil suit without impleading any member of the Hindu community but impleading only the secretary of state for India through the district magistrate, Benares, and Anjuman Intajamia Masajid, Benares, for granting declaration that the land bearing situated in the city measuring (1 bigha 9 biswa and 6 dhurs) together with enclosure all-around described in the plaint was Waqf in possession of that plaintiff (Mohammed). The affidavit has been filed in response to the plea of the committee of management Anjuman Intezamia Masjid which manages the Gyanvapi mosque in Varanasi seeking quashing of the recent survey of the mosque.&nbsp;The affidavit said that the 1936 suit said that Muslims had the right to say their prayers especially&nbsp;alvida&nbsp;prayers, and to exercise other religious and legal rights as the need and occasion arise. ”It is submitted that the Muslims had filed the above-mentioned suit only for declaration without seeking any consequential relief. This suit was filed even without impleading any person from the Hindu community. Therefore, the judgment passed in the suit is not binding upon any member of Hindu community but any document, map, evidence or statement of any witness can be referred to or relied upon by the members of Hindu community,” the affidavit said.It referred to a written statement filed in the civil suit on behalf of the secretary of state for India in council refuting the plaint allegations and it was stated that”the idols and the temple which stand there exist since long before the advent of the Mohammedan rule in India''.The affidavit said that in substance the Government of India (during British era) in the written statement filed in civil suit stated that ''the entire plot of land on which the mosque, ’pucca' courtyard stray grave, staircase in front of the gate, together with ‘pucca' enclosures all around and pipal tree stand belongs to government and has never been dedicated nor could have been dedicated to the mosque.”It further stated the written statement had said that ”the idols and the temple which stand there have existed since long before the advent of the Mohammedan rule in India. The other allegations made in the said paragraph are denied. It is submitted that the non-Muslims have been using the land for their religious purposes as a matter of right and have got a right of way over it. The allegation that they were permitted by persons in charge of the mosque is unfounded and baseless”.The affidavit further said it was stated in the statement that ”the land in question was ever stamped with the character of Waqf land. It was never dedicated to god, nor could it have been dedicated and god has no proprietary interest. The Mohammadans of that time or for the matter of that Aurangzeb himself was not the owner of the site in which the old temple of Vishwanath existed and which was demolished by Aurangzeb owing to the religious antipathy, hence it could not have been dedicated according to the true spirit of the Mohammadan faith.”It further said that the historians have confirmed that Islamic ruler Aurangzeb had issued an order on April 9, 1669, directing his administration to demolish the temple of Lord Adi Vishweshwar (Kashi Vishwanath temple) at Varanasi.&nbsp;”There is nothing on record to establish that the then ruler or any subsequent ruler has passed any order to create a Waqf over the land in question or for handing over the land to any Muslim or body of Muslims. The copy of&nbsp;firman/order issued by Aurangzeb is reported to be maintained by Asiatic Library, Kolkata”, the affidavit said.It said that the property in question does not belong to any Waqf and the property had already vested in deity Adi Vishweshwar lakhs of years before the start of the British Calendar year and is continuing to be the property of the deity.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;”No Waqf can be created on the land already vesting in a deity. In the historical books written during the Mughal regime and thereafter even Muslim historians have not claimed that Aurangzeb after demolishing the temple structure of Adi Vishweshwar had created any Waqf or thereafter any member of the Muslim community or Ruler was dedicated such property to Waqf,” it said.The affidavit added that a mosque can be constructed over the property dedicated by a&nbsp;waqif, who should be the owner of the property, and construction raised under the orders of any Muslim ruler or by any Muslim over the land of a temple cannot be construed as a mosque.&nbsp;The Hindu devotees in the 2021 civil suit said that their plea be decided first by the district judge to whom their case has been transferred on Friday last. ”The religious character of the property has to be determined first before deciding the application filed by the petitioner (mosque committee) herein under Order 7 Rule 11 for proper adjudication of the matter in issue,” it said, adding that the appeal of the mosque committee is not maintainable.—PTI

Hindu women plaintiffs who have filed a civil suit before the Varanasi court seeking declaration and asserting the right to darshan and worship Hindu deities whose idols are located on an outer wall of the Gyanvapi mosque in Varanasi has referred to stand taken by the British government in a 1936 suit seeking it to be declared as Waqf property.

Hindu devotees cite British era stand in Gyanvapi dispute to buttress claim

Lucknow: The budget session of Uttar Pradesh Assembly began on a stormy note on Monday with Samajwadi Party members marching into the well of the House during the governor's address. As soon as the House met, SP members came in the well with placards in their hands raising issues related to law and order, farmers, stray cattle, and incidents of rape.The lawmakers raised the slogan "Governor go Back".Governor Anandiben Patel continued to read her speech amid the pandemonium. Leader of Opposition Akhilesh Yadav, PSPL leader Shivpal Singh Yadav, and Abdullah Azam were present in the House among others.—PTI

 The budget session of Uttar Pradesh Assembly began on a stormy note on Monday with Samajwadi Party members marching into the well of the House during the governor's address.

Budget session of UP assembly starts amid protest by SP

Varanasi: Security has been beefed up in Varanasi as the court of district judge is set to start hearing of Gyanvapi-Shringar Gauri case from Monday. All the related files were transferred to it in compliance with the Supreme Court’s May 20 order of shifting the trial from civil judge (senior division) court. District government counsel (civil) Mahendra Prasad Pandey said the district judge court will on Monday make clear the points on which the hearing would start.Meanwhile, senior police officials, on Monday, said that adequate security arrangements had been made to ensure that there was no trouble from any side over the hearing of the case. “We have deployed adequate forces and barricades have been put up as precautionary measure,” said a senior official. Five women devotees, Rakhi Singh of Delhi, Laxmi Devi, Sita Sahu, Manju Vyas and Rekha Pathak, all of Varanasi, had on April 18, 2021 filed a petition seeking daily worship of goddess Shringar Gauri on the mosque premises, in the court of civil judge.On April 8, the court had appointed Ajay Kumar Mishra as the advocate commissioner for survey of Gyanvapi mosque. The defendants, Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee, had filed a petition in the Allahabad high court challenging the order for survey and appointment of advocate commissioner, but the plea was rejected. The court commission had started the survey of Gyanvapi on May 6, but it was stalled the next day due to protest by AIM, which also demanded the civil judge (senior division) court to change the advocate commissioner saying Mishra was biased.The court rejected the plea to change Mishra but also appointed Vishal Singh as special advocate commissioner and Ajay Pratap Singh as assistant advocate commissioner. The court commission resumed the survey on May 14 and concluded it on May 16 amid claims of a ‘Shivling’ being found in the wuzu pond of Gyanvapi by the petitioners. On May 17, the court sacked Mishra following complaints of leaking information and asked special advocate commissioner Vishal Singh to table the survey report on May 19.On May 20, while hearing the petition of AIM Committee, the Supreme Court refused to interfere with the survey order passed in the Gyanvapi mosque case and transferred the civil suit filed by Hindu devotees from civil judge (senior division) to the district judge, Varanasi saying looking at the ‘complexities’ and ‘sensitivity’ of the issue, it is better if a senior judicial officer having experience of over 25-30 years handles this case.—IANS

Security has been beefed up in Varanasi as the court of district judge is set to start hearing of Gyanvapi-Shringar Gauri case from Monday.

Security Beefed Up In Varanasi Ahead Of Gyanvapi Case Hearing In District Court

Budaun: Two people drowned in the River Ganga during an immersion ritual here, police said on Monday. The incident took place at Ataina Ghat in Ushait area on Sunday.Four friends identified as Abhay Pratap Singh (22), Shivam (21), Jaidev and Gulshan had gone to the ghat for immersing a 'kalash' (pot) after a religious event when the accident took place, Assistant Superintendent of Police, City, Praveen Singh Chauhan said. While Singh and Shivam died, Jaidev and Gautam were saved by locals. Bodies of the victims were later fished out by the police with the help of locals. A probe is on in the matter.—PTI

Two people drowned in the River Ganga during an immersion ritual here, police said on Monday.