New Delhi:  The Supreme Court decided on Thursday to hear a case involving the protection of "Shivling," which was found at the Varanasi Gyanvapi mosque complex. The case will be heard at 3 p.m. on Friday.

A bench of Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud and Justices Hima Kohli and J B Pardiwala stated it will constitute a bench to hear the issue. The hearing will start at 3 p.m. tomorrow, the supreme court announced.

On May 17, the Supreme Court issued an interim order directing to protect the area where the "Shivling" was discovered and granting access to Muslims for namaz. The order said that this protection should continue until the Varanasi court decides whether the lawsuit can be maintained, and then for eight weeks to allow parties to pursue legal remedies.

Hindu parties' attorney Vishnu Shankar Jain brought up the issue before the supreme court in an effort to extend the temporary order safeguarding "Shivling." The interim orer must be renewed as it is set to expire on November 12, he said He further emphasised the fact that the Muslim parties' application under Order 7 Rule 11 (rejection of plaints) was turned down.

The Varanasi District Court ruled in September that the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991 did not preclude the lawsuit.

The Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee, which oversees the Gyanvapi mosque, had questioned that the claim brought by Hindu women was not maintainable, but it had been rejected.

The Supreme Court is currently considering an appeal that the Committee filed in opposition to an order by the Allahabad High Court allowing a court-appointed commissioner to inspect, survey, and film the Gyanvapi mosque, where both Hindus and Muslims have claimed the right to worship. On May 20, the Supreme Court issued an order transferring the civil judge's civil case involving worship at the Gyanvapi mosque to the Varanasi District Judge.

The District Judge was to decide whether the civil case filed in the Gyanvapi-Kashi Vishwanath on a matter of priority, as requested by the Committee of Management of the Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Varanasi, could be maintained, it said.

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