Gyanvapi survey begins on Sat, mosque mgmt on board

May 13, 2022 19:52

The stalled videography survey of Gyanvapi Masjid complex is set to resume Saturday and the mosque management committee has indicated that it will cooperate for now with the team assigned the task by a local court.

"An important meeting was held with all the concerned parties on Friday. An appeal was made to them to cooperate in the commission's work and the maintenance of law and order," Varanasi district magistrate Kaushal Raj Sharma said.

He said the survey will begin on Saturday.

A mosque committee member said it is waiting for the Supreme Court ruling on the matter but till then it will cooperate with the district court, which has ordered the survey.

The mosque is located close to the iconic Kashi Vishwanath temple and the local court is hearing a plea by a group of women seeking permission for daily prayers before the idols on its outer walls.

In his order on Thursday, District Civil Court (Senior Division) judge Ravi Kumar Diwakar turned down a plea by the mosque committee to replace Ajay Kumar Mishra, who was appointed advocate commissioner by him to survey the Gyanvapi-Gauri Shringar complex.

The judge also appointed two more advocates to help the commissioner with the survey and said it should be completed by Tuesday.

Lawyers representing the Hindu and Muslim sides were present at meeting held Friday by the district magistrate.

Also on Friday, the Supreme Court refused to grant an interim order of status quo on the survey. The top court, however, agreed to consider listing the plea of a Muslim party against the survey.

Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee's joint secretary Sayyad Mohammed Yaseen said it will think about moving the high court against the local court's order after the Supreme Court delivers its ruling.

"Till then we will cooperate with the district court order in the matter," he told PTI.

Earlier, in the day, a counsel for the mosque panel had said the local court's order was not final and it may be challenged it in the High Court.

"We have four days to challenge this order. We can challenge the order in the high court after consultations," advocate Abhay Nath Yadav had said.

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