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Gyanvapi mosque case: Varanasi court begins hearing plea for change of official
An objection to the application for removal of Ajai Kumar, the court commissioner, was also filed by the advocates representing the petitioners who have sought permission for daily worship at the Maa Shringar Gauri Sthal located in the Kashi Vishwanath-Gyanvapi complex
A local court in Varanasi on Monday began hearing the Gyanvapi mosque management committee’s application to change the advocate commissioner appointed by the court to conduct a survey of Maa Shringar Gauri sthal (place) in the Kashi Vishwanath-Gyanvapi complex. The survey includes videography and inspection of Gyanvapi premises.
An objection to the application for removal of Ajai Kumar, the court commissioner, was also filed on Monday by the advocates representing the petitioners who have sought permission for daily worship at the Maa Shringar Gauri Sthal located in the Kashi Vishwanath-Gyanvapi complex in Varanasi.
“We filed a reply in the court of civil judge (senior division) Ravi Kumar Diwakar against the petition filed by Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee (which manages the Gyanvapi mosque) seeking removal of advocate commissioner Ajai Kumar,” said Subhash Nandan Chaturvedi, one of the advocates representing the plaintiffs — Rakhi Singh, a resident of Delhi, and Varanasi residents Manju Vyas, Lakshmi Devi, Sita Sahu and Rekha Pathak.
The petitioners in their plea filed on August 18 last year sought the permission to perform daily worship of deities Shringar Gauri, Lord Ganesha, Lord Hanuman and Nandi whose idols are on the outer wall of the Gyanvapi mosque.
After hearing inconclusive arguments from the two sides, the civil judge listed the matter for further hearing on Tuesday.
On Saturday, the Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee filed the petition seeking Ajai Kumar’s removal alleging him of being “bias”.
“He (Ajai Kumar) conducted the proceeding of the survey as per wish of the advocates of the petitioners (seeking permission for daily worship at Maa Shringar Gauri Sthal),” Abhay Nath Yadav, one of the advocates of the mosque committee, had said on Saturday.
Kumar was appointed as the advocate commissioner in the case, titled Rakhi Singh and others vs UP state and Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee, by the local court on April 8.
“The allegation by the lawyers of the Masjid committee that the advocate commissioner is biased and conducting the survey keeping in view the interest of the plaintiffs is completely baseless,” Chaturvedi said.
No survey was conducted on Monday.
The advocate commissioner and lawyers representing both the Hindu and Muslim sides had on Saturday gone inside the Gyanvapi complex. But despite spending nearly two hours inside the complex, they were unable to accomplish the work and had to come out of the complex.
One of the advocates representing the plaintiffs had also gone inside the complex with Ajai Kumar on Saturday. After emerging from there, he had told reporters that men present inside the mosque did not allow the survey team to enter the mosque area to do the survey.
The advocate commissioner had on Friday conducted an inconclusive survey of some areas outside the mosque premises amid brief sloganeering by two sides.
No withdrawal of case
Meanwhile in an apparent U-turn, Vishwa Vedic Sanatan Sangh chief Jitendra Singh Vishen on Monday said petitioner Rakhi Singh was not withdrawing the case seeking permission for daily worship at the Maa Shringar Gauri Sthal in Varanasi.
“Rakhi Singh is a founder member of the Vishwa Vedic Sanatan Sangh. She is not withdrawing the case,” Vishen said.
On Sunday morning, Vishen, who is a relative of one of the plaintiffs, had said the case would be withdrawn on Monday. The Delhi-based organisation, which is leading the case, on Saturday, dissolved the legal advisory committee and shared the information on its letterhead.
After Vishen’s Sunday announcement, four of the five women plaintiffs— Manju Vyas, Sita Sahu, Lakshmi Devi and Rekha Pathak — appeared before the media and said they will continue the legal battle.
“The case will not be withdrawn under any circumstances. We will continue our legal battle,” Vyas said.
