The parties to the Gyanvapi mosque dispute in Varanasi, the Sri Krishna Janmabhoomi-Shahi Eidgah dispute in Mathura and the Shahi Jama Masjid dispute in Sambhal have declined the Supreme Court’s proposal to resolve the matters through mediation, choosing instead to pursue adjudication through the regular judicial process.
The decision means that the three high-profile temple-mosque disputes are unlikely to be taken up under the Supreme Court’s nationwide mediation initiative, Supreme Court Action for Mediated Adjudication and Disputes Harmonisation Across Nation (Samadhan Samaroh) 2026, which will conclude with a special Lok Adalat scheduled from August 21 to 23.
According to reports, the Supreme Court administration had recently written to all contesting parties in the three disputes, inviting them to explore an amicable settlement through mediation and other consensual dispute resolution mechanisms. However, both the Hindu litigants and the mosque management bodies informed the Supreme Court, as well as the respective State and District Legal Services Authorities, that they were not willing to participate in the mediation process.
The parties are understood to have taken the view that the disputes involve complex questions of law, including title to immovable property, constitutional rights, interpretation of statutory provisions, and issues of significant public and religious importance. They maintained that such matters require judicial determination by constitutional courts and cannot be appropriately resolved through mediation or Lok Adalat proceedings, which are based on voluntary settlement and mutual consent.
Representatives of the mosque management committees also reportedly conveyed that while they support peaceful resolution of disputes, they do not consider mediation to be an appropriate mechanism for deciding litigation involving competing legal and constitutional claims over places of worship.
The responses effectively rule out the possibility of these disputes being included in the special Lok Adalat proposed under the Samadhan Samaroh 2026 initiative.
Announced by the Supreme Court in April, the four-month Samadhan Samaroh 2026 programme seeks to reduce pendency by encouraging litigants to voluntarily settle pending Supreme Court cases through mediation, conciliation and other alternative dispute resolution (ADR) mechanisms before specially constituted Lok Adalat sittings in August. The initiative also includes a dedicated online portal and a central coordination mechanism to facilitate both physical and virtual mediation proceedings.
The Gyanvapi dispute concerns claims by Hindu plaintiffs that the Gyanvapi Mosque in Varanasi was constructed after the demolition of the original Kashi Vishwanath Temple during the Mughal period. Several civil suits seek the right to worship at certain locations within the mosque complex and challenge the applicability of the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991.
The Muslim side, represented by the Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee, disputes these claims and contends that the mosque is protected under the 1991 Act. Proceedings relating to the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) survey report, worship rights, maintainability of the suits and other connected issues continue before various courts.
The Sri Krishna Janmabhoomi-Shahi Eidgah dispute in Mathura relates to claims by Hindu organisations that the Shahi Eidgah mosque stands on land believed to be the birthplace of Lord Krishna.
The plaintiffs have challenged the validity of the 1968 compromise agreement between the Shri Krishna Janmasthan Seva Sansthan and the Shahi Eidgah management committee, while seeking restoration of the alleged temple land and, in certain suits, removal of the mosque structure. The mosque committee has opposed the claims, relying, among other grounds, on the bar contained in the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991.
The Sambhal dispute arose after a civil court ordered a court-monitored survey of the Mughal-era Shahi Jama Masjid following a plea alleging that a Harihar Temple had existed at the site before the mosque was constructed. The survey triggered communal violence in Sambhal in November last year, resulting in multiple deaths and injuries. The proceedings have since become the subject of litigation before the higher judiciary.
All three disputes are presently pending before the Supreme Court, which is examining broader legal issues concerning the maintainability of such suits, the scope and interpretation of the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991, and other constitutional and legal questions arising from competing claims over religious places. The Court’s eventual decision is expected to have significant implications for similar pending disputes across the country.
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