Prominent Hindu Litigant Withdraws from Gyanvapi Cases Citing Alleged Harassment

Varanasi: Jitendra Singh Visen, a prominent litigant representing the Hindu side, recently declared his decision to withdraw from all cases associated with the Gyanvapi issue, citing alleged “harassment” as the reason. Accompanied by his family, including his wife Kiran Singh and niece Rakhi Singh, Visen, who leads the Vishwa Vedic Sanatan Sangh, expressed his decision in a statement issued on Saturday. He claimed to have faced harassment from various quarters, including within the Hindu community and felt humiliated as a result.

Due to limited resources and strength, Visen stated that he could no longer continue the legal battle for the sake of “dharma” (religion). He acknowledged that initiating this “dharmayudh” (religious war) might have been the biggest mistake of his life. He lamented that society tends to support those who manipulate religious sentiments for personal gain.

His lawyer, Shivam Gaur, who had previously withdrawn from the cases, released a separate statement explaining that a communication gap with the plaintiffs led to his decision. Gaur announced his withdrawal from the Gyanvapi case, which he had been contesting since 2021, as well as the Krishna Janmabhoomi case, which he had taken up in 2022. He also mentioned that he had not received any fees for his services after May 2022.

The original Shringar Gauri suit was filed in August 2021 by five women plaintiffs, including Rakhi Singh, seeking permission for daily worship of Goddess Shringar Gauri and other deities in the Gyanvapi mosque compound. However, Rakhi eventually parted ways with the other women, and differences emerged between Visen and the lawyers representing the four remaining plaintiffs, including Hari Shankar Jain and Vishnu Shankar Jain, in May 2022.

Following the disagreements, Visen resigned as the national convener and national general secretary of the Hind Samrajya Party, led by the Jain duo. Visen is involved in various high-profile litigation cases, including those concerning the Gyanvapi mosque, the Idgah mosque in Mathura, and the Taj Mahal. One of the cases filed by Visen aims to ban the entry of Muslims into the Gyanvapi premises.