Image Courtesy:theshiningmedia.in
On Friday, May 5, authorities began a video survey of the Maa Shringar Gauri temple located at the Kashi Vishwanath Temple – Gyanvapi Mosque compound. The survey had been ordered by a local court last month and was carried out amidst tight security. However, there was a minor hiccup.
According to a local individual who did not want to be named, “Some members of the majority community raised slogans, then some members of the minority community responded with slogans of their own. This went on for about five minutes. There was no physical violence, as the police had come prepared.”
In August 2021, five Hindu women moved a Varanasi court demanding that they be allowed to offer prayers at the Maa Shringar Gauri Temple. This temple is situated on the western side of the disputed complex and the petitioners say that till 1998, prayers took place here every day. Rakhi Singh, a Delhi resident and four other Varanasi women moved the Civil Court (Senior Division), demanding that the Maa Shringar Gauri Temple be reopened, and people be allowed to offer prayers before the idols that are still kept there. The petition was moved through Advocate Harishankar Jain.
This petition had led the court to issue notice and seek answers from the Anjuman Intezamia Masjid (AIM) which is the mosque management authority, the Kashi Vishwanath Temple Trust (KVTT) and the Government of Uttar Pradesh.
The Indian Express reported that on April 8, Civil Judge (Senior Division), Varanasi, Ravi Kumar Diwakar had appointed Advocate Commissioner Ajai Kumar to carry out the survey and asked him to submit a report at the next hearing on May 10, and that is the survey the authorities began conducting on May 5. It is noteworthy that this is distinct from the survey by the Archeological Survey of India (ASI), as that was stayed by the Allahabad High Court.
Related:
Gyan Vapi case: Allahabad HC stays ASI survey, proceedings before lower court
Gyan Vapi case: Varanasi court to hear petition to hold prayers in Shringar Gauri temple