Survey Of Gyanvapi Mosque To Continue, Court Seeks Report By May 17

The court of Civil Judge (Senior Division) Ravi Kumar Diwakar had earlier heard the arguments of both Hindu and Muslim sides.

Police outside Gyanvapi Masjid (Image: PTI)

New Delhi: A district court in Uttar Pradesh's Varanasi on Thursday ordered not to change the court commissioner in the case related to the video survey of the Gyanvapi mosque located adjacent to the Kashi Vishwanath temple. Hearing a plea filed by the Gyanvapi mosque management committee (Anjuman Intezamiya Masjid) seeking removal of Ajay Kumar Mishra as the commissioner for the survey, the court said two assistant commissioners will help him in the process. The court categorically stated the entire Gyanvapi mosque will be surveyed and sought the report in this regard by May 17.

The court of Civil Judge (Senior Division) Ravi Kumar Diwakar had earlier heard the arguments of both Hindu and Muslim sides.

Shivam Gaur, the lawyer representing the Hindu side, had earlier said advocate commissioner Mishra also presented his side.

Gaur claimed the matter of videography by going inside the barricading was also included in the court order delivered on April 26.

Judge Diwakar ordered the mosque’s videography and survey on a plea filed by Delhi women Rakhi Singh, Laxmi Devi, Sita Sahu and others seeking permission to perform daily worship of deities Shringar Gauri, Lord Ganesha, Lord Hanuman and Nandi whose idols are located on the outer wall of the Gyanvapi mosque.

The women, who had moved the court with their plea earlier on April 18 last year, also sought a court's order to stop the opponents from causing any damage to the idols.

The counsel for the mosque management committee had earlier contended that the court had not given any order to do the videography inside the mosque but to do it only till the ‘chabutra’ (courtyard) outside the barricades enclosing the mosque area.

Earlier on Friday, the court commissioner had conducted an inconclusive survey of some areas outside Gyanvapi Masjid in the Gyanvapi-Shringar Gauri complex amid brief sloganeering by the two sides.

Alleging that the court-appointed advocate commissioner had tried to get videography done inside the Gyanvapi mosque without orders, the Muslim side had accused him of acting in a biased manner.

The Muslim side had following which moved the court to replace him.