VARANASI, July 15 -- Both the Hindu and Muslim sides on Tuesday rejected mediation in the Gyanvapi dispute, saying the matter should be decided by the courts, after the Supreme Court's initiative to explore an amicable settlement in major religious site cases. The parties appeared before the mediation centre at a Varanasi court as part of the Supreme Court's 'Supreme Court Action for Mediated Adjudication and Disputes Harmonisation Across Nation' (Samadhan samaroh) initiative aimed at encouraging settlement of pending cases ahead of a special Lok Adalat scheduled for August 21-23. UP government's special prosecutor for Gyanvapi case, Rajesh Mishra, said the mediation bench comprised additional district judge Alok Kumar, civil judge (junior division) Nitin Singh and senior advocate Mahendra Pandey. "Both sides appeared before the mediation bench during hearing at the mediation centre at District Legal Services Authority (DLSA) and refused to resolve the Gyanvapi cases matter through mediation," said Mishra. Both sides reiterated their respective claims, said Mishra, adding that the mediation meeting concluded for about 20 minutes. The Hindu side claims the mosque was built after demolition of a temple during the Mughal era while the Muslim side maintains that it is a legitimate Waqf property and disputes the Hindu claims. The cases - Rakhi Singh vs Anjuman Intezamia Masajid Committee (AIMC), AIMC vs Shailendra Pathak Vyas and others, AIMC vs Lakshmi Devi and others, were listed for mediation in the pre-Lok Adalat sitting (meeting) organised. Four Hindu women, including Lakshmi Devi, Manju Vyas, Sita Sahu and Rekha Pathak along with their counsel, including advocate Subhash Nandan Chaturvedi, advocate Sudhir Tripathi and their pleader Sohan Lal Arya attended the meeting. Representing AIMC, which manages Gyanvapi mosque, advocates Akhlaque Ahmad, Mumtaj Ahmad and Raees Ansari appeared before the bench."The bench asked both parties - 'Can the Gyanvapi cases (which were listed for mediation) be resolved through mediation, and both sides responded, 'No'," said district government counsel (civil) Sulabh Prakash. "Both sides did not agree for resolution of Gyanvapi matter through mediation," added the DGC. When contacted, counsel for AIMC, Akhlaque Ahmad, said: "During the meeting, the mediation bench asked if the Gyanvapi cases could be solved through mediation....we categorically told that Gyanvapi cases are of very sensitive nature. Therefore, resolution of these cases is not possible through mediation. For Gyanvapi mosque, we will continue our legal battle. Representing four Hindu women, Subhash Nandan Chaturvedi said he anticipated from the outset that reaching a resolution through dialogue would not be easy. He noted that no consensus could be reached among the parties regarding Maa Shringar Gauri-Gyanvapi case during the mediation. "The legal battle to seek permission for daily worship at Maa Shringar Gauri Sthal in the western wall of Gyanvapi complex will continue," he added....