Gyanvapi Mosque case: Varanasi Court to resume hearing today

New Delhi, Jun 08: Varanasi court on Wednesday will resume hearing the fresh plea filed in connection to the Gyanvapi mosque case. This comes after the Varanasi fast-track court adjourned the hearing of the case to June 8 last week.

Meanwhile, the Varanasi court on Monday reserved its order on a plea moved by Sri Vidya Mutt head Swami Avimukteshwaranand, who has been on an indefinite fast seeking permission to pray to a purported Shivling-like structure recovered from inside the Gyanvapi mosque during a videography survey in May.

District judge in-charge, Anutosh Sharma, a special judge of the Pocso court and filling in for District Judge Ajay Krishna Vishvesha, who is on leave, reserved his order after hearing the submissions of Avimukteshwaranand's counsel Ramesh Upadhyaya.

On May 16, the lower court had directed the district administration to seal a spot in the Gyanvapi Masjid complex after counsels representing the Hindu petitioners said a Shivling was found during a court-mandated videography survey.

A mosque management committee spokesperson disputed the claim, telling a television channel that the object was part of a "fountain".

He said lawyers representing the mosque committee were not fully heard before the sealing order was announced.

The Hindu side claimed that the Shivling was found close to the "wazookhana"-a small reservoir used by Muslim devotees to perform ritual ablutions before offering the namaz.