SC to set up bench to hear Gyanvapi Kashi Vishwanath case tomorrow

Gyanvapi Mosque case: A bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud on Thursday took note of the submissions of advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain, appearing for some Hindu devotees, and said the order granting protection was expiring on November 12. `We will constitute a bench at 3 PM tomorrow,` the CJI said.

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday agreed to set up a bench on Friday to hear the Gyanvapi Kashi Vishwanath case in which the Hindu side has sought an extension of an order by which protection of an area where a "Shivling" was found in Gyanvapi premises was ordered. A bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud on Thursday took note of the submissions of advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain, appearing for some Hindu devotees, and said the order granting protection was expiring on November 12. “We will constitute a bench at 3 PM tomorrow,” the CJI said.

The Supreme Court had earlier said its interim order of May 17, directing protection of the area where the Shivling is said to be found and allowing Muslims to offer namaz on the mosque premises, shall remain in operation till the maintainability of the suit filed by the mosque committee is decided by the district judge and thereafter, for eight weeks to allow the aggrieved parties to approach a higher court.

A district court in Varanasi has upheld the plea seeking permission for daily worship of idols of Hindu deities located on an outer wall of the Gyanvapi mosque. After the order, the mosque committee moved the Allahabad High Court on October 15.