Supreme Court Takes a Big Step in Gyanvapi Masjid case, details here

• Image Credit: Internet

• May 19, 2022 | Dhupali Das

Vishal Singh, the court-appointed commissioner, stated that a chip containing recordings and photos of the recording was also handed over.

Digital Desk: The report of the recording of the Gyanvapi Masjid in Varanasi was submitted to a court this morning in a case concerning a request by Hindu petitioners to worship idols inside the mosque compound.

The team that filmed the mosque complex presented the three-folded report in a sealed cover. Vishal Singh, the court-appointed commissioner, stated that a chip containing recordings and photos of the recording was also handed over.

The Supreme Court, which is considering a case by the mosque committee contesting the Gyanvapi complex videography, has instructed the Varanasi court not to pass any decisions for the time being. After the Hindu petitioners' attorneys requested an adjournment, the Supreme Court indicated it would resume hearing the issue tomorrow.

A Varanasi court is hearing a petition from five Hindu women who want to worship idols on the outer walls of the Gyanvapi mosque complex, which is located next to the famous Kashi Vishwanath temple.

One of the lawyers involved in the recording at the mosque asserted that a  "Shivling" was discovered inside a pond commonly used for "Wazoo", or Islamic purifying rites before namaaz.

The Supreme Court has ruled that if a "Shivling" is discovered in the complex, the place must be secured, but Muslims must be allowed to pray at the mosque.

Advocate Commissioner Ajay Pratap Singh, the top official in charge of the filming, stated that he stayed up all night to write the report, which included recordings and photos from within the mosque, including the basement.

"The court had trusted us with a significant task, and we carried out the survey honestly, even in the blazing heat and filthy basements. We took all sides along, the petitioners and mosque representatives so that there's no question of partiality," he said.

Three of the original petitioners will seek the court to remove debris piled against the mosque wall facing a Nandi deity at the Kashi Viswanath temple and access and video further locations to establish what they believe are temple elements. 

Ajay Mishra, who was in charge of the filming, was fired by a Varanasi court on Tuesday after a "personal cameraperson reportedly leaked the report" he had hired. In his place, a team member named Vishal Singh was appointed.