Varanasi, May 06: On Friday afternoon, on the orders of the court, the work of videography and survey of Shringar Gauri and other deities located in the disputed premises of Gyanvapi Masjid, adjacent to Shri Kashi Vishwanath Dham, started.
Senior Advocate Ajay Kumar Mishra, appointed Court Commissioner from Civil Judge Senior Division Court, conducted commission proceedings as per rules in the presence of 18 people of the plaintiff and the respondent.
Delhi resident advocate Shivam Gaur of the five women who filed the petition told the media personnel that the High Court has given orders for the survey of measles number 9130. In this order, there is an order for the survey of the entire measles. In which the entire Gyanvapi mosque complex and Shringar Gauri are included. In such a situation, the survey of such a large area may take three days and this survey is likely to be completed by Sunday. Advocate commissioner will file his report in the court on May 10th.
On the other hand, as soon as the Advocate Commissioner reached Gyanvapi Mosque with advocates of both sides amidst tight security for videography and survey in the mosque premises, Muslim side created a ruckus on the middle road and at the Gyanvapi crossing, also started shouting slogans.
Meanwhile, seeing the slogan of Har Har Mahadev in response, there was a situation of tension. Nearby shops were also closed. Seeing this, the police officers drove the youths who were shouting slogans with the force in the streets.
During this, enlightened people from the Muslim side arrived and immediately removed the protesting youths after explaining them there. In this case, the secretary of the opposition Anjuman Inazaniya Masajid Committee had already announced to oppose the proceedings.
A huge crowd gathered at Gyanvapi Masjid to offer Friday prayers before the commission proceedings. Seeing this, the people around started apprehensive that the atmosphere would deteriorate. People said that even in the Eid prayers, there was not so much crowd. To offer Namaz at Gyanvapi Mosque, Namazis queued up in the scorching sun near Chowk Chitra Cinema.
Meanwhile, a Muslim woman started offering Namaz near gate number 4 of Kashi Vishwanath temple that stirred chaos. The police personnel somehow removed the woman from there. It was later revealed that the woman was mentally ill.
After offering Namaz, people started returning peacefully from the Gyanvapi Masjid, and then people along with the administration heaved a sigh of relief. On the spot, senior advocate Ajay Kumar Mishra, appointed from the Civil Judge Senior Division court in the Gyanvapi Masjid premises, along with 36 members from the side and the opposition, participated in the survey proceedings.
Rakhi Singh of Delhi, along with five others, filed a suit in the court of Civil Judge Senior Division Ravi Kumar Diwakar, to keep all the deities of the Adi Vishweshwar family in status quo while restoring the regular worship of Shringar Gauri and pre-1991 status.
In the course of hearing in the court, on April 8, 2022, the court appointed the court commissioner.
The court commissioner informed the court about the date of the survey on April 19. A day before this, on April 18, the district administration filed a petition through a government advocate and demanded a ban on videography and photographs.
On April 19, the other side, Anjuman Inazaniya Masajid Committee, also filed a petition in the High Court requesting for its stay.
The High Court dismissed the petition and upheld the order of the lower court. On April 20, the trial court also completed the hearing. On 26 April, the trial court had ordered to start the survey proceedings on May 6 and 7 after Eid.
The team of senior advocates of the Supreme Court and senior advocates Harishankar Jain, Pankaj Gupta and Shivam Gaur were also present from the plaintiff side for monitoring during the commission’s action.
In respect of survey and videography evidence etc., the police provided a safe place to the Advocate Commissioner. Police Commissioner A Satish Ganesh himself took charge of the security arrangements. Security was tightened every step of the way in the Kashi Vishwanath Dham area. The intelligence system had also laid a complete trap.
The special thing is that in addition to the state government, the District Magistrate, Commissioner of Police, Anjuman Prajatania Masajid Committee and Kashi Vishwanath Temple Trust have been made parties in the suit.
On the directions of the court, the entire survey work is being done with secrecy. The general public and media are not allowed to enter the survey site. The court has ordered the Uttar Pradesh government to bear the cost of this entire survey.
