Varanasi: Both Hindu and Muslim sides in Gyanvapi dispute on Tuesday rejected the mediation initiative started by the Supreme Court to resolve the long-standing dispute.Plaintiffs in four cases from the Hindu side and also the Anjuman Intejamia Masajid — the Gyanvapi mosque management committee — appeared before the mediation centre at a Varanasi court on Tuesday as part of the Supreme Court’s ‘Supreme Court Action for Mediated Adjudication and Disputes Harmonisation Across Nation’ (SAMADHAN SAMAROH) initiative aimed at encouraging settlement of pending cases ahead of a special Lok Adalat scheduled for Aug 21-23.“The conciliation chaired by ADJ-6 Alok Kumar was convened at district legal services authority in district court compound on Tuesday afternoon,” said special government counsel for Gyanvapi cases Rajesh Mishra. “The conciliation panel asked only one question from each petitioner and AIM whether any compromise is possible in their cases. All parties denied such possibility after which the pre-Lok Adalat conciliation process failed. Entire process concluded in less than 15 minutes.”The district government counsel (civil) Sulabh Prakash, who appeared before the panel on the behalf of state government, said that four files related to Gyanvapi mosque related cases had been taken up for pre-Lok Adalat conciliation.Advocate Anupam Dwivedi, appearing for plaintiff Rakhi Singh, said conciliation notices had been issued in several petitions pending before the dist court, including SLP(C) No. 9388/2022 filed by the Anjuman Intezamia Masajid (AIM) against orders relating to the court-appointed commission survey, closure of the Gyanvapi wuzukhana (ablution pond) on May 16, 2022, and transfer of the Shringar Gauri suit to the district court.Dwivedi said Rakhi Singh, the lead plaintiff in Suit No. 18/2022, and Laxmi Devi, one of the five women seeking the right to worship Shringar Gauri, were invited to participate in the conciliation process. The ASI survey of the Gyanvapi complex was also conducted pursuant to proceedings in the same litigation, while the main suit remains pending before the district court.Another matter discussed during the session was SLP(C) No. 7094-7095/2024, filed by the AIM against the district court’s Jan 31, 2024 order permitting worship in the southern cellar of the Gyanvapi complex. The order had been passed on a petition filed by Shailendra Kumar Pathak Vyas, head priest of the Acharya Ved Vyas Peeth.Although AIM had initially indicated reluctance to participate in the conciliation exercise, its representatives ultimately attended the session.“We decided to take part in the proceedings out of respect for the Supreme Court’s initiative and to place our stand on record. Gyanvapi is a highly sensitive issue and AIM is not ready for any compromise. The matter should be decided only through the judicial process,” said AIM senior advocate Akhlaq Ahmad.Counsel for Vyas and Laxmi Devi, Subhash Nandan Chaturvedi, said the Hindu side also ruled out any compromise. “We participated in the session in deference to the Supreme Court’s initiative, but made it clear that the Hindu side would not compromise its claim over the Gyanvapi land. Everyone knew mediation was unlikely to resolve such a sensitive dispute,” he said.Security was heightened around the district court complex as the four women plaintiffs and Vyas arrived with supporters. Devotees raised chants of “Har Har Mahadev” before entering and after leaving the conciliation venue.
