Lagatar24 Desk
Varanasi, May 19: In a case concerning a request by Hindu petitioners to worship idols inside the mosque compound, a report of filming at the Gyanvapi Masjid in Varanasi was filed to a court on Thursday morning.
The team that filmed the mosque complex provided the report in three folders with a sealed cover.
Notably, the Varanasi court is hearing a petition from five Hindu women who want to worship idols on the outer walls of the Gyanvapi mosque complex, which is located next to the famed Kashi Vishwanath temple.
A Shivling was discovered inside a pond commonly used for Wazoo or Islamic purifying rites before namaz, according to one of the lawyers who participated in the recording at the mosque.
The Supreme Court has ruled that if a Shivling is discovered in the complex, the place must be secured, but Muslims must be allowed to pray at the mosque.
Advocate Commissioner Ajay Pratap Singh, the top person in charge of the filming, claimed he stayed up all night to write the report, which included recordings and photos from within the mosque, including the basement.
Three of the original petitioners will seek the court to remove debris piled against the mosque wall facing a Nandi deity at the Kashi Viswanath temple, as well as access and video further locations to establish what they believe are temple elements.
Ajay Mishra, who was in charge of the filming, was fired by a Varanasi court on Tuesday after the report was reportedly leaked by a “personal cameraperson” he had hired. In his place, a team member named Vishal Singh was appointed.