The Anjuman Intezamia Committee of the Gyanvapi mosque has been consulting senior lawyers to challenge the order of a local court rejecting its petition regarding the maintainability of the ongoing case, its representatives said on Tuesday, 13 September.
"We have been hugely disappointed with the order of the district court. We are sad that the court rejected all of our arguments but we will not give up," committee joint secretary Mohammad Yasin was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
"We are consulting senior lawyers of the High Court to challenge the verdict," he further added.
The Varanasi district court had on Monday said that it would continue hearing the plea of the Hindu petitioners, seeking to worship the idols of deities located on the outer wall of the mosque, thus quashing the mosque committee's claim that the plea was not maintainable.
'Some People Want To Vitiate Atmosphere in Country'
Responding to All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen chief Asaduddin Owaisi's statement that the case was going in the same direction as the Babri Masjid verdict, Yasin said, "As of now, 13 cases related to the Gyanvapi are going on. After the order of the court, more cases will be registered in the country."
"Now, when some people want to vitiate the atmosphere of the country, then what can we do? We will continue our legal battle," he added.
On the other hand, Vishnu Jain, the advocate for the Hindu petitioners, said, "If the Muslim side moves the High Court, then we will also go there and file a caveat so that the High Court does not give any order without listening to the Hindu side."
Meanwhile, some Muslim women belonging to the Muslim Mahila Foundation reportedly celebrated the court's verdict and performed aarti.
"Hatred in the name of religion will not be allowed to be spread in the country. In the Gyanvapi case, we are with the Hindu side because our aim is to remove the stigma put by (Mughal ruler) Aurangzeb," head of the foundation Nazneen Ansari said.
She also added that the "honour of Islam" was in handing over the rights of Hindus to them.
The masjid is located next to the Kashi Vishwanath temple. The Hindu petitioners had claimed that a part of the mosque was built on the portion of the temple that was allegedly demolished on the orders of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb.
They further urged the court to give them the right to worship before the idols of Shringar Gauri on the mosque premises.
Earlier, the petitioners had also claimed that a Shivling was found in the mosque, a claim that the Muslim side has repeatedly denied.
(With inputs from PTI.)
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