Court orders resumption of video inspection inside Gyanvapi mosque

A local court in Varanasi on Thursday (May 11) ordered continuation of video inspection of the Gyanvapi mosque, located next to the iconic Kashi Vishwanath temple.

As per the court order, the inspection has to be completed by May 17, said the lawyer of the five petitioners who had moved court in April this year seeking year-long access to pray at a Hindu shrine behind the western wall of the Gyanvapi Mosque complex.

Earlier, the court had told the local authorities to submit a report on the basis of the videography by May 10, but the recording was stopped following a dispute over video recording inside a mosque.

Currently, the site of worship is opened for prayers only once a year. The women also want permission to pray to other “visible and invisible deities within the old temple complex”.

There was dispute regarding the role of commissioner appointed by the court, Ajay Kumar Mishra, to oversee the process. The Gyanvapi mosque management committee had said the commissioner is biased. The court, on Thursday, decided not to replace the official but appointed one more survey commissioner. Vishal Kumar Singh and Ajay Kumar Mishra will oversee the survey now.