Video Survey Inside Varanasi's Gyanvapi Mosque? Court Verdict Tomorrow

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

Police outside Gyanvapi Masjid (Image: PTI)

New Delhi: A district court in Uttar Pradesh’s Varanasi will on Thursday deliver its verdict in the case related to the video survey of the Gyanvapi mosque located adjacent to the Kashi Vishwanath temple. The court, according to lawyers, will also decide on a plea filed by the Gyanvapi mosque management committee (Anjuman Intezamiya Masjid) seeking removal of Ajay Kumar Mishra as the court commissioner for the survey, PTI reported. The court of Civil Judge (Senior Division) Ravi Kumar Diwakar heard the matter relating to opening of the two basements located inside the barricading in the Gyanvapi complex for videography and replacement of advocate commissioner.

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

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

“The court has reserved its order till 12 o’clock tomorrow,” Gaur told reporters in Varanasi, according to the news agency.

“It is expected that tomorrow the court will give the next date for videography and also give a verdict on whether the commissioner will be changed or not,” he added.

Gaur claimed the matter of videography by going inside the barricading is also included in the order for videography-survey issued by the court earlier on April 26.

Mahendra Prasad Pandey, the government counsel, said the court after hearing the arguments of both sides has reserved its decision for Thursday.

Meanwhile, Anjuman Intezamiya Masjid joint secretary Syed Mohammad Yasin told the news agency there is barricading all around Gyanvapi Masjid, adding the Hindu side is talking about videography of the two basements located beneath the mosque by opening them.

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.