Uttar Pradesh: Court to hear Gyanvapi case on August 18 as AIM seeks time

VARANASI: The panel of lawyers of Anjuman Intezamia Masajid — the Gyanvapi mosque management committee — on Thursday sought time from the district judge court in view of the untimely death of senior advocate Abhay Nath Yadav, who was representing the committee in the Gyanvapi-Shringar Gauri case.

“Considering their plea, the court fixed August 18 as the next date of hearing,” said district government counsel (civil) Mahendra Prasad Pandey.

AIM’s advocate Raees Ahmed said the file of the case 693/2021 Rakhi Singh vs state of UP and others was kept in the chamber of Abhay Nath Yadav, who led the panel of AIM layers challenging the maintainability of this case. He died due to cardiac arrest on July 31. “Thus, there had been no preparation for further arguments and submission by the AIM. On this ground, the court was requested to give 15-day time days for necessary preparations,” he added.

On the directive of the Supreme Court, district judge Ajay Krishna Vishvesha had started hearing of the case from May 20. The district judge was hearing the arguments on maintainability of the case. The AIM advocates led by Yadav had argued for four days between May 24 and July 12.

After it, the advocates of women plaintiffs seeking rights to worship Shringar Gauri in the Gyanvapi compound gave their counter-reply till July 21. In this sequence, the AIM had to give further submissions before the court on Thursday.