Kozhikode: Samastha Kerala Jem-iyyathul Ulama President Mohammad Jifri Muthukoya and General Secretary Prof. K Alikutty Musliar said in a joint statement that the Varanasi District Court verdict on the Gyanvapi Masjid issue is painful.
The Samastha leaders said that the verdict would affect not only Muslims but also all religious groups in the country. Performing puja inside the mosque is against the essence of the Protection of Places of Worship Act, 1991.
In the Babri Masjid case judgment, the Supreme Court had emphasized the importance of vigorous implementation of the Protection of Places of Worship Act, 1991. This Act provides that if a building was a mosque when India got its independence on August 15, 1947, it continues to be a mosque, and no other sect can lay claim to it, they said in the statement.
According to them, Gyanwapi Masjid was built in 1678 by Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb. After more than a hundred years in 1780, Indore Queen Ahilya Holkar built the Kashi Vishwanath Kshetra next to the mosque.
The malicious move by some to take over the Gyanwapi mosque is painful and should be protested. Matters, including going to court against the judgment, will be decided in consultation with the concerned parties. The leaders also demanded that the Supreme Court intervene honestly and impartially to regain faith in the country's judicial system.