On Sunday, July 31, senior advocate Abhay Nath Yadav, who was representing the Muslim side in the Gyanvapi dispute case, passed away from a heart arrest. Yadav reportedly passed away in a hospital on Varanasi’s Maqbool Alam Road.

Nityanand Rai, a senior member of the Banaras Bar Association, said that Abhay Nath Yadav suddenly passed away on Sunday night around 10:30 p.m. after suffering a serious heart attack. He was taken to Trimurti Hospital, where medical staff pronounced him dead.

After that, Yadav’s relatives transported him to Varanasi’s Shubham Hospital, where the medical staff also declared him dead.

Abhay Nath Yadav was defending the Anjamun Intejamiya Masjid in the legal battle over the Gyanvapi building. The Muslim side in the ongoing Gyanvapi case was expected to respond on August 4 when Abhay Nath Yadav had to show up.

In the month of May, in the compound where the disputed building of Gyanvapi mosque is located, a Shivling was discovered submerged in the wuzukhana, the spot where individuals who offer namaz, the Islamic prayer, scrub their unclean hands and feet, and gargle water as a cleansing ritual.

When the Shivling was found, the judge ordered the closing of the complex and prohibited those praying in the masjid from washing their muddy feet and hands near the Shivling.  Additionally, the disputed Gyanvapi structure was to be documented and surveyed, which was against the fervent wishes of the Anjuman Intejamia Committee.

The Gyanvapi case will be heard by the Supreme Court in October, according to the most recent reports. The matter is currently being heard in the lower court, according to the Supreme Court bench. The case is being heard by Justice Chandrachud, Justice Suryakant, and Justice Narasimha bench.

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