Recap: Varanasi Court on Gyanvapi Case, Gujarat HC on LG Saxena Assault Case

Catch all the legal highlights from the day here!

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From a Varanasi Court giving a go-ahead to consolidate eight suits related to the Gyanvapi Mosque dispute to the Gujarat High Court putting an interim stay on trial proceedings against Delhi LG Vinai Kumar Saxena in a 2002 assault case, here are the top legal highlights from Tuesday, 23 May:

Gyanvapi Case: Varanasi Court Allows Consolidation of 8 Related Suits

A Varanasi Court gave a go-ahead to consolidate eight suits related to the Gyanvapi Mosque Complex dispute pending in various courts.

"I am of the opinion that it will be expedient in the interest of justice that all the suits mentioned above...should be tried together and may be consolidated and all these suits and proceedings shall be decided upon the evidence in any of such suits or proceedings," District Judge Ajaya Krishna Vishvesha said.

"Smt Rakhi Singh and others Versus State of UP and others shall be the leading case and evidence shall be recorded in the leading case," the court added.

The case pertains to a plea filed by five Hindu women seeking permission for the worship of Hindu deities whose idols were allegedly found to be located on an outer wall of the Gyanvapi mosque.

The claim was disputed by the Muslim side and said that the mosque is a Waqf property.

The Supreme Court on 19 May, deferred the scientific investigation of a the structure inside the Varanasi-Gyanvapi mosque complex, which the Hindu plaintiffs claim to be a 'Shivling' and the Mosque committee claims to be a fountain. 

Delhi HC Sets Aside Delhi Mayor Shelly Oberoi's Decision To Re-Elect 6 MCD Standing Committee Members

Meanwhile, the Delhi High Court set aside Delhi Mayor Shelly Oberoi's direction to re-elect six Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) standing committee members.

The court concluded that Oberoi's decision to reject the ballot of one of the members was bad in law, the decision was not based on any material, and her actions were without any power or authority.

Medha Patkar Assault Case: Gujarat HC Puts Interim Stay on Trial Proceedings Against Delhi LG Vinai Kumar Saxena

The Gujarat High Court put an interim stay on the trial proceedings against Delhi LG Vinai Kumar Saxena in a 2002 assault case against him by activist Medha Patkar.

While a magistrate court had previously refused to stay the proceedings against him based on his plea seeking abeyance till the time he holds the post of the LG, the High court provided him interim relief.

It also issued sought the response of the Gujarat government and Patkar.

Patkar had alleged that Saxena and three other men had assaulted Patkar when she was at the Sabarmati Gandhi Ashram to attend a meeting of civil rights activists to appeal for peace when Gujarat was facing communal riots. 

The four men were booked for unlawful assembly, rioting, voluntarily causing hurt, wrongful restraint, intentional insult and criminal intimidation.

PIL Challenging Rs 2000 Note Withdrawal: Delhi HC Reserves Verdict

The Delhi High Court reserved its order in a public interest litigation (PIL) challenging Reserve Bank of India's (RBI) notification for withdrawal of ₹2,000 currency notes from circulation. 

Senior Advocate Parag Tripathi, representing RBI contended that the withdrawal of ₹2,000 notes was a statutory exercise and not demonetisation.