The closed gate of Gyanvapi mosque in Varanasi is guarded by security personnel
Gyanvapi-Shringar Gauri, whose case is being heard by Varanasi district judge court from Monday, has tightened security in the area.
As of May 20, all relevant files were transferred from the civil court (senior division) to the Supreme Court.
Mahendra Prasad Pandey, the district government’s civil counsel, said the district judge court would clarify how the hearing would proceed on Monday.
Despite this, senior police officials on Monday said they had made adequate security arrangements to ensure the hearing would go smoothly.
Our forces have been deployed as a precautionary measure, and barricades have been put up,” said a senior official.
On April 18, 2021, five devotees, including Rakhi Singh of Delhi, Laxmi Devi, Sita Sahu, Manju Vyas and Rekha Pathak, who all hail from Varanasi, filed a petition in the court of civil judge requesting that Shringar Gauri be worshipped daily within the mosque premises.
Hearing at the Gyanvapi mosque – so far
As the advocate commissioner for the survey of the Gyanvapi mosque, the court appointed Ajay Kumar Mishra on April 8. It was rejected by the Allahabad high court that the defendants, Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee, challenged the order for survey and appointment of advocate commissioner.
Gyanvapi had been the subject of a court commission survey starting on May 6, but it was stalled the next day after protests from AIM, which also demanded the civil judge (senior division) court change advocate commissioner Mishra as Mishra was biased.Ajay Pratap Singh was appointed assistant advocate commissioner, while Vishal Singh was named special advocate commissioner.
In response to claims by the petitioners that a Shivling has been found in the wuzu pond of Gyanvapi, the court commission resumed the survey on May 14 and concluded it on May 16.
Upon receiving complaints that Mishra had leaked information on May 17, the court suspended him, and ordered Special Advocate Vishal Singh to present a survey report on May 19.
The Supreme Court refused to interfere with the survey order passed in the Gyanvapi mosque case on May 20, while hearing the petition of the AIM Committee. Varanasi said looking at the ‘complexities’ and ‘sensitivity’ of the issue, the civil suit filed by Hindu devotees should be transferred from the civil judge (senior division) to the district judge.