Respondent Muslim party defies Apex Court, spurns mediation in Gyanvapi dispute
Varanasi, July 13: The respondent Muslim side has distanced itself from the proposed mediation (pre-conciliation talks) on July 14 as part of the Supreme Court’s initiative to resolve the Shri Kashi Vishwanath Temple-Gyanvapi Mosque dispute. The Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee has clarified that it will not participate in the meeting, as it believes the invitation is not binding.
This mediation meeting is scheduled for Tuesday at the Mediation Centre located in the District and Sessions Court complex in Varanasi. Parties to various Gyanvapi-related disputes and their advocates have been invited. The meeting will be chaired by the Judge in Charge of the Centre and may also be supervised by the District Judge.
On Monday, a day before the meeting, S.M. Yasin, Joint Secretary of the Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee, issued a letter stating that the Supreme Court’s invitation to resolve disputes through a special Lok Adalat and mediation is not mandatory. He stated that after deliberation, the committee unanimously decided not to participate in the mediation meeting scheduled for July 14.
The letter stated that the Supreme Court has established a special Lok Adalat for the purpose of resolving pending cases through mutual consent, including sensitive matters like the Gyanvapi case. However, this process is voluntary and there is no legal obligation for any party to participate, so the committee has decided to abstain.
On the other hand, the plaintiffs and their lawyers involved in the Gyanvapi and Shringar Gauri cases stated that the case has been pending in the Supreme Court since 2022. The court has given both parties an opportunity to seek a solution through mutual dialogue. They stated that if the Muslim side agrees to mediation, negotiations are possible; otherwise, the final decision on the dispute will be made by the court.
Advocate Sudhir Tripathi, involved in the case, told media that notices were issued to all parties on July 9th regarding seven pending files related to Gyanvapi. He said that the ASI survey, which lasted three months, claimed to have uncovered temple remains, and the Hindu side claims that the mosque was built on the temple structure.
He stated that if no solution is reached through mediation, the case will continue to be heard in court. Meanwhile, Madan Mohan Yadav, an advocate representing the Hindu side in the Gyanvapi case, stated that the Supreme Court has directed the Hindu and Muslim sides to appear at the Varanasi court’s mediation center on July 14 to resolve the Gyanvapi dispute. “We, the Hindu side, have decided that the temple belongs to us. The Muslim side is an encroacher on Gyanvapi. Therefore, the Muslim side should vacate Gyanvapi, paving the way for the construction of a grand Kashi Vishwanath temple at the site of the original Jyotirlinga,” he said.
It is noteworthy that the Supreme Court has taken a major initiative to resolve the dispute between the Shri Kashi Vishwanath Temple and the Gyanvapi Mosque. Instead of directly deciding or intervening in this matter, the Supreme Court has directed both parties (the plaintiff Hindu and the defendant Muslim) to seek a negotiated solution through a special Lok Adalat and mediation.
In this regard, a mediation meeting (pre-conciliation talks) will be held on Tuesday, July 14, at the center located in the District and Sessions Court complex in Varanasi. All plaintiffs, defendants, and advocates involved in the four Gyanvapi cases will be present at the mediation center.
