A Varanasi court on Monday resumed hearing the petitions filed by the Muslim side in the Kashi Vishwanath Temple-Gyanvapi Mosque complex dispute seeking the appointment of a different Advocate Commissioner.
The dispute has been making headlines since last week after a court-ordered video survey was halted on Saturday when the Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee (Gyanvapi) filed an application in the Varanasi court seeking the replacement of Advocate Commissioner Ajai Kumar, accusing him of being “biased”.
The issue, meanwhile, dates back to 1991 when a slew of petitions arrived before the Varanasi court, with local priests seeking permission to worship in the Gyanvapi Masjid area. The petitioners claimed that the Gyanvapi Masjid was built on orders of Mughal king Aurangzeb in the 17th century by removing a portion of the Kashi Vishwanath Mandir.
Monday’s hearing assumes significance since it will decide whether the same Advocate Commissioner will continue. If Kumar is removed, there will be a question mark over the videography and survey done so far.
It is also expected that the Hindu side will request the court to be specific in its order and clearly state that the survey is also permitted inside the mosque.
The case took a new turn on Sunday when the Vishwa Vedic Sanatan Sangh announced that it will withdraw the petition filed in the court for regular ‘darshan’ of the temple located in the complex.
Sanatan Sangh chief Jitendra Singh Bisen told News18 that Rakhi Singh, his niece and one of the five women who filed the petition in Varanasi district court, will withdraw the case. However, he did not give the reason behind the move.
The district court had ordered earlier to conduct videography and survey of the shrine on a petition, filed by Rakhi and others, seeking permission to perform daily puja and rituals at the temple. The petitioners had moved the court on April 18, 2021 seeking to restrain the opponents from damaging the idols.
The counsel for the mosque management committee (Anjuman Intezamiya Masajid), Abhay Nath Yadav said the court had not given any order to do the videography inside the mosque but to do it till the ‘chabutra’ (courtyard) outside the barricading.
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