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Controversy and court proceedings erupted after lawyer Harishankar Jain claimed that a Shivling was found inside the wuzu khana area (Ablution pond) inside Gyanvapi Mosque in Varanasi during a court-ordered survey of the premises. Appearing for plaintiff Rakhi Singh, he moved an application in the Varanasi court with the claim, although the Masjid committee argued that the structure claimed as ‘Shivling’ is a fountain inside the pond.  

Civil Judge Ravi Kumar Diwakar, who heard the petition on Monday, directed the district magistrate, police department, and CRPF commandant to seal and secure the wuzu khana area. Sealing off the zone, the administration handed over the keys to the treasury. However, the DM said they are making alternate arrangements to ensure that Muslims continue to perform namaz unobstructed. 

Before this

Five Hindu women applicants, led by Rakhi Singh, had moved the Varanasi Civil Judge seeking permission to perform unhindered worship to Goddess Shringar Gauri and other deities inside the Gyanvapi mosque premises. 

Hearing their plea, the Varanasi civil court ordered a survey of the Gyanvapi mosque-Shringar Gauri Sthal complex. But, the Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Management Committee overseeing the mosque’s affairs stalled the survey, saying the advocate commissioner was acting biased. 

What did the Supreme Court say?

In the meantime, a hearing of the plea from the Masjid Management Committee came up yesterday in the apex court. 

Taking cognizance of the developments on Tuesday evening, the Supreme Court bench headed by Justices D Y Chandrachud and P S Narasimha ordered Varanasi District Magistrate to seal the ‘Shivling area’ (ablution pond) in the Gyanvapi mosque. However, at the same time, the apex court bench also directed the DM to allow free access to Muslims to perform namaz inside the mosque complex. 

SG Tushar Mehta representing the UP Government argued that while performing ablution in the pond, someone could place their feet on the Shivling. It would then lead to ‘serious’ law and order problems. 

On the other side, Advocate Huefeza A Ahmadi, representing the Anjuman management committee, said the suit from the Hindu side is based on a claim that a temple was there in the past where the mosque stands today. 

He cited the Places of Worship Act, 1991, and the Ayodhya verdict and said that the Hindu side argument cannot be accepted as a basis to change the character of the mosque. He also noted that performing ablution is essential before prayers. Therefore, sealing the wuzu khana area would impede the namaz. 

Varanasi court sacks advocate commissioner

Meanwhile, complaints came up to the Varanasi civil court that a private photographer engaged by Advocate Commissioner Ajay Kumar Mishra kept leaking information and footage to the media while the court-ordered videography survey was happening. Terming it “totally against judicial decorum,” civil Judge (senior division) Ravi Kumar Diwakar replaced Mishra and ordered special advocate commissioner Vishal Singh to submit the survey report to the court by Thursday.  

Who said what?

UP Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya said in a tweet, “Truth is something that cannot be hidden, no matter how hard you try, because truth by itself is Shiv.”

Asaduddin Owaisi, AIMIM President, stated that we cannot lose another mosque, said, ‘Gyanvapi was a mosque, and it will remain a mosque till eternity (qayamat).”

Image Source: India Today