Lagatar24 Desk
Varanasi, May 16: The court-ordered videography assessment of the Gyanvapi Masjid complex in Varanasi began for the third day in a row on Monday amid tight security. Around 65 percent of the survey was finished by Sunday.
The mosque is next to the famous Kashi Vishwanath temple, and a group of women has petitioned the local court for permission to worship daily before the idols on the mosque’s exterior walls.
The DM stated yesterday that the survey work on Monday will begin at 8 a.m., and that all parties must be present. The survey was halted last week due to complaints from the mosque committee, who claimed that the court-appointed attorney commissioner did not have the authority to video within the mosque.
The mosque committee had asked District Civil Judge (Senior Division) Ravi Kumar Diwakar to replace Ajay Kumar Mishra, who had been appointed by the court as attorney commissioner to assess the Gyanvapi-Gauri Shringar complex.
The judge also named two additional advocates to assist the court commissioner with the survey, which is expected to be completed by Tuesday. Locks should be broken if keys are not available to access particular portions of the complex for the survey, according to the district court. It also requested that if the survey was not permitted, district authorities file FIRs.
The Supreme Court refused to grant an interim order of status quo on the survey last Friday. However, the Supreme Court decided to hear a Muslim party’s appeal against the survey. The survey will be carried out by three court-appointed advocate commissioners, five lawyers from each side, and an assistant, as well as a videography crew, according to Advocate Yadav.
