Abdul Batin Nomani

Abdul Batin Nomani (born 5 March 1973) is an Indian Sunni Islamic scholar, mufti, and the current Shahi Imam of the Gyanvapi Mosque in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. He also serves as the Mufti of Varanasi and the secretary of the Anjuman Intezamia Masajid Committee, which manages the Gyanvapi Mosque complex.

Early life and education Abdul Batin Nomani was born in Azad Park, Pili Kothi area of Varanasi on 5 March 1973. He comes from a family with a long-standing tradition of religious scholarship. He began his Quranic education at home and later studied at Madrasa Mazharul Uloom, from where he graduated in 1993. He received advanced training in Hadith under scholars including Zainul Abideen Maaroofi and also passed the "Fazil" examination from the Madrasa Board.

Career Following his graduation, Nomani began teaching at Jamia Mazharul Uloom in Varanasi, where he continues to serve.

He heads the Darul Ifta and serves on the local Shariah arbitration board (Darul Qaza) in Varanasi. He is affiliated with various religious and community organizations, including the Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind (Banaras chapter).

In June 2022, he expressed concerns about increasing legal and societal pressure on mosques in India, citing the Gyanvapi case and other similar disputes.

In August 2024, Nomani led public protests against the installation of a temporary gate near Gate No. 4 of the Gyanvapi complex, alleging that it would hinder Muslim access to the mosque during Friday prayers.

In early February 2024, following a Varanasi district court order that permitted Hindu worship in the southern cellar (basement) of the Gyanvapi complex, Nomani and the Anjuman Intezamia Masajid Committee (AIMC) called for peaceful protest measures, including a bandh (shutdown) of shops in several Muslim-dominated localities on 2 February 2024; the AIMC said the action was in response to what it described as a "misleading claim" that puja had been performed in the southern cellar until 1993, which the committee denied. The AIMC reported that around 2,200 people offered Friday prayer at Gyanvapi on 2 February and that additional worshippers attended other mosques across the city; security was tightened and police patrolling (including drone deployment) was reported around the complex on that day to maintain peace and order. Nomani warned of continued opposition — within legal and Gandhian limits — should attempts to restrict access recur, and AIMC leaders prepared both political outreach (letters to MPs and party leaders) and legal recourse to challenge such installations. The public letter and local political responses underscored Nomani's continued role in mobilising community concern and seeking political/legal remedies to infrastructure actions that affect mosque properties and local commerce.

Public appeals and activism In 2021, Nomani appealed to all mosque committees and imams across Uttar Pradesh to ensure that proper legal documentation of mosques was maintained, following the demolition of a mosque in Barabanki despite a court stay order.

Nomani has continued to combine legal action, political outreach and public appeals in response to developments affecting the Gyanvapi complex and neighbouring areas, including organising or endorsing peaceful protests, calling for community-wide measures such as selective shop closures in protest of court orders, and writing to political leaders to seek intervention when administrative actions (such as security installations or road-widening projects) are perceived to threaten mosque access or existence.

Recognition Nomani has been recognized by several civil society groups for his contributions to interfaith dialogue and social issues. He was honored by the Institute of Planning and Management in 2006 following his efforts for peace during a communal crisis in Varanasi.