A Varanasi court on Monday dismissed Anjuman Islamia Masjid committee’s plea challenging the maintainability of a suit to hand over possession of the Gyanvapi Mosque premises to deity Vishweshwar Virajman (Swayambhu), Live Law reported.

The suit has been filed by deity Vishweshwar Virajman (Swayambhu) through next-friend Kiran Singh, the international general secretary of Vishwa Vedic Sanatan Sangh.

The organisation has said that the entire mosque complex must be handed over to the Hindus and the plaintiffs must be allowed to worship the purported shivling found inside the mosque on May 16. The mosque committee has said that structure which the Hindus refer to as a shivling is an ablution tank.

The application by the mosque committee was filed under Order 7 Rule 11 of the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908, which lays down the conditions when certain pleas will be barred.

Civil Judge (senior division) Mahendra Kumar Pandey held that the suit filed by Kiran Singh was maintainable. He posted the case for further hearing on December 2.

The suit is not connected to the proceedings related to case filed by five Hindu women seeking rights to pray inside the Gyanvapi Mosque premises. Singh, however, is one of these five women.

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