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Shringar Gauri-Gyanvapi case: Lawyers for Hindu plaintiffs file caveat in Allahabad high court
A senior advocate representing one of the Hindu plaintiffs in the case said filing the caveat would ensure that the Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee cannot be heard without informing the Hindu side
The lawyers representing the Hindu plaintiffs in the Shringar Gauri-Gyanvapi case on Wednesday filed a caveat in the Allahabad high court.
Senior advocate Hari Shankar Jain, who represents one of the Hindu plaintiffs in the case, said filing the caveat would ensure that the other party — Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee (AIMC) that is the Muslim side — cannot be heard without informing the Hindu plaintiffs.
The move came two days after AIMC made it clear that it will challenge the Varanasi district court’s verdict in the Allahabad high court. On September 12, the Varanasi district court ruled that plea by five Hindu women seeking the right to pray daily to idols installed at the Gyanvapi complex in Varanasi is maintainable and not barred under existing laws.
Besides, Varanasi district judge AK Vishvesh also dismissed the petition by the Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee, which controls the 17th century Gyanvapi mosque and had argued that the Hindu women’s plea violated the 1991 Places of Worship Act and two other laws.
Sudhir Tripathi, another lawyer who represents the Hindu side, said the caveat was filed on Wednesday on behalf of plaintiffs Manju Vyas, Sita Sahu, Rekha Pathak and Laxmi Devi, through their lawyers Hari Shankar Jain and Vishnu Shankar Jain.
Tripathi said the Muslim side does not have any credible evidence that may be acceptable in the Allahabad high court.
However, the lawyers of AIMC said filing caveat is just a procedure and is not going to affect them in any way.
“As we said before, we would be challenging the district court’s verdict in the high court. Our team of lawyers are already working on the judgment and are studying the grounds on which the plea is rejected,” said Mohammed Touhid Khan, one of the lawyers who represents AIMC.
