The management committee of Varanasi's Gyanvapi Masjid has moved the Supreme Court in support of the Place of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991. In an intervention application, the Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Varanasi has sought the dismissal of a batch of petitions moved by Hindu litigants that have challenged the constitutional validity of the three-decade-old law.
A local court-ordered survey in 2022 at the Gyanvapi claimed to have found evidence of a Shivling on the premises, triggering tensions. The case is now in the apex court.
Nearly 355 years after the mosque with a Sanskrit name was built, the Allahabad High Court had upheld Varanasi district court's order to allow Hindu prayers to continue in its southern cellar. But behind the verdict is an 800-year-old history. Here's retracing the Gyanvapi mosque's history and the various cases...
Producer/Editor: Shohini Bose
