Gyanvapi mosque case: Won't remove commissioner, finish survey: UP court seeks report by May 17

Lucknow, May 12: 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.

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

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

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

The videography and survey of the mosque was ordered by Judge Diwakar on a plea 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 had moved the court with their plea on April 18, 2021, and 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.

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

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