Hindus Hail Varanasi Verdict To Allow Survey Inside Gyanvapi Mosque

In massive good news for the Hindu community, the Varanasi court has ruled to allow the video survey of the Gyanvapi mosque while hearing the petition filed by five Hindu women. Earlier in April, the Court had begun attending the women's petition who had asked to pray to Hindu deities in the disputed site adjacent to the famous Kashi Vishwanath Temple. The petitioners had demanded year-long access to worship the Mata Gauri Shringar Sthal behind the western wall of the mosque. Therefore, Varanasi's civil judge Ravi Kumar Diwakar ordered that the mosque survey would be conducted on May 17.

Refused To Remove Ajay Mishra

Previously, there have been several objections to surveying the mosque premises. The row pertains to the Shringar Gauri worship case, in which Justice Diwakar, on April 26, appointed the advocate commissioner, Ajay Mishra, to carry out a videography survey of the Shringar Gauri temple in the Kashi Vishwanath-Gyanvapi mosque complex and other places after Eid and before May 10, Hindustan Times reported. However, the survey was stalled amid objections, and the official sought more time to submit the detailed report.

Opposition By Muslim Organizations

However, the Gyanvapi mosque management committee had also sought the removal of Ajay Mishra, citing that he favoured the Hindu community. The Court also refused to remove Ajay Mishra as the court commissioner for the survey. The Indo-Islamic Cultural Foundation (IICF) said that carrying out video surveys inside mosques was a direct violation of the Places of Worship Act, which stated that a religious place would retain the same character had on August 15, 1947. The IICF has said it will approach the Supreme Court in this regard.

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