On Monday, the Supreme Court ordered the Varanasi district collector to convene a conference to provide “congenial” working arrangements for ‘wuzu’, Muslim worshipers’ rites of bathing at the disputed Gyanvapi mosque complex. It also said that it would deliver official verdicts on whether “Wuzu,” an Islamic ritual, could be conducted at the disputed Gyanvapi premises, where a mosque is located, on Friday, April 21.
The appeal of the Committee of Management Anjuman Intezamia Masjid was presented to the bench later in the week after the Solicitor General of India (SG) Tushar Mehta promised that a meeting with the parties involved would be held tomorrow to discuss a resolution. In the plea, it was requested that Wuzu be performed in the contested location and that Ramzan pilgrims have access to restrooms.
A bench comprising Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, Justice PS Narasimha and Justice JB Pardiwala was hearing an application filed by the Committee of Management Anjuman Intezamia Masjid. “The Wuzu was being held at the fountain area. There were washrooms there too. But now the entire area has been sealed,” the committee informed to the Supreme Court.
Later, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta was asked for a solution by the Chief Justice. “The order has already been passed and it is being complied with and I have no issues if the authorities want to take care of the same,” Mehta said.
However, the SG warned the top court that if an order was made without careful consideration because Wuzu was being sought in the same region as the Shivling, it may cause issues. After the committee’s attorney, Huzeifa Ahmedi informed the court that even portable restrooms would suffice, the SG said that it is crucial to preserve the sanctity of the location under all circumstances.
The Supreme Court referred to its judgement from May 20 of last year, in which it had ordered that worshipers be given ‘wazu’ and lavatory facilities after some interior sections had been sealed off. “The problem is that the area where wuzu performance is being sought has the Shivling and that may create an issue,” SG Mehta was quoted as saying.
The mosque management committee’s declaration that it would be content even with mobile restrooms was noted by the bench. The issue has now been set for another hearing on Friday, and the court has ordered that if a solution is found at the meeting, it may be put into effect immediately and a formal order may be made at the next hearing.
Last year, the Supreme Court extended permanently the temporary protection for the region where a Shivling was discovered at the contentious Gyanvapi site in Varanasi. The Varanasi District Magistrate on May 13 was instructed to seal the area by the local court where the ‘Shivling’ had been discovered. The District Magistrate, Police Commissioner, and CRPF Commandant of the city were each given personal obligations by the court to safeguard the restricted area.
On May 17, the Supreme Court of India affirmed the Varanasi Court’s ruling but amended it so that it will not restrict Muslims’ access to the mosque or their use of it for praying and other religious activities.
Previously, the Supreme Court had declined to order the Varanasi Gyanvapi-Shringar Gauri complex survey to continue in its current course. The inspection, videography, and evidence-gathering procedures surrounding the presence of Hindu deities within the Gyanvapi Mosque complex, which is adjacent to the Kashi Vishwanath temple, had been disallowed by the court.
