Varanasi: Plaintiffs, defendants, advocates and security personnel leave the Gyanvapi mosque premises on the first day after a videographic survey
Highlight
- Videography survey started at 8 am on Sunday
- Lawyers, police officers, DMs and other government officials from both the sides had reached the spot.
- The civil court had appointed a court commissioner to conduct survey and videography of the site.
The second day of the court-ordered videography survey of the Kashi Vishwanath Temple-Gyanvapi Masjid complex in Varanasi began on Sunday morning amid tight security. The process which started from 8 am today is likely to be completed by 11 to 12 pm tonight.
The police cordoned off the road near the campus. All shops within 500 meters of the premises remained closed. People will not be allowed in the complex area.
“Arrangements have been made for darshan for all. All routes have been opened so that the visitors do not face any problem and police personnel have been deployed. Right now, a member of the commission is being given entry through one gate and devotees are allowed Getting admission. Darshan from the rest,” Varanasi DCP RS Gautam said at Gyanvapi Masjid.
As far as the survey is concerned, lawyers of both the parties, police officers, District Magistrates and all the government officials associated with the survey reached the spot.
This survey is being done in accordance with the order of the Varanasi Civil Court to continue the survey despite objections from the mosque authorities.
The civil court had appointed a court commissioner to survey and videograph the site and this was challenged before the Allahabad High Court, which dismissed the appeal on April 21.
The April 21 order of the High Court was challenged in the apex court.
Five women had filed a petition in the court seeking permission for daily worship at the Shringar Gauri temple located inside the Kashi Vishwanath-Gyanvapi mosque complex.
On the petition of the above, order has come by the Civil Court to conduct survey and videography in the premises.
Another petition, filed by Vijay Shankar Rastogi, argued that the entire complex belongs to Kashi Vishwanath and the Gyanvapi mosque is only a part of the temple, also pending in the court since 1991.
Rastogi also claimed that the Kashi Vishwanath temple was built two thousand years ago and that the temple was demolished by the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb.
(with inputs from ANI)