Varanasi Court To Pass Orders On Sep 13 On Pleas For 'Preserving' Gyanvapi Mosque Premises, Artefacts Found By ASI In Its Survey

The Varanasi District Court will pronounce orders on September 13 on three pleas filed before it seeking various reliefs pertaining to the Gyanvapi Mosque premises, where ASI is presently conducting a court-ordered scientific survey.

It may be noted that two applications have been moved by Rakhi Singh (through Advocates Saurabh Tiwari and Anupam Dwivedi) in the Shringar Gauri Worshipping suit 2022 (presently pending before the Varanasi Court). Singh is herself a plaintiff in the said suit which seeks year-round access to worship inside the Mosque premises.

The third application has been filed by the remaining 4 women plaintiffs in the Suit of 2022 through advocates Hari Shankar Jain, Vishnu Shankar Jain, Subhash Nandan Chaturvedi and Sudhir Tripathi.

In her first application (348 ग), Rakhi Singh has prayed to the Court to pass an order 'preserving' the Gyanvapi Mosque Premises claiming that the Mosque committee is destroying the historical evidence related to the Hindu religion which is available at the disputed site.

The application also states that if the available evidence related to the Hindu religion is destroyed, then there will be difficulty in the disposal of the 2022 Suit as well and there will be a problem in reaching an appropriate judicial conclusion in the matter.

More details about the application here: Plea To 'Preserve' Gyanvapi Premises: Varanasi Court Grants Mosque Committee Time Till August 9 To File Its Objections

Further, in her second application (362 ग), Singh has prayed for "sealing and protecting" certain areas of Gyanvapi Mosque premises where Hindu Signs and symbols exist so that "no damage can be done to the same by Anjuman Masjid Committee and Namaz offerers".

The application also seeks a direction to concerned respondent authorities to make a regulation to restrict and regulate the number of Namaz Offerers at the disputed site and a direction to the Anjuman Committee to refrain from any dying and painting the structures inside Gyanvapi mosque premises.

More details about the application here: Gyanvapi | Fresh Application Filed In Varanasi Court To Protect Hindu Signs/Symbols, Restrict Number Of 'Namaz Offerers'

In the third application (filed by 4 Hindu women worshippers), an order has been sought to preserve artefacts and other materials found by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) during its ongoing survey of the Gyanvapi Mosque premises.

Stating that whatever articles are found by the ASI, would be case property and maybe a piece of evidence in the suit, the plaintiffs have prayed that the District Magistrate be directed to preserve all such articles and produce the same in Court whenever required.

A further prayer has been made to direct the District Magistrate to prepare an inventory of all such articles and file the same before the Court.

Referring to the May 2022 report submitted by the Advocate Commissioner in the case, the plaintiffs have said that there exists a number of artefacts, idols and other articles of Hindu worship within the premises and during its survey, the ASI will get a number of ancient articles of Hindu worship to which sentiments of Hindus i.e. the worshippers of Lord Shiva are deeply attached.

"...it is necessary that all the artefacts and articles whichever is found by ASI relating to Hindu faith and worship or any articles which is important from historical or Archaeological point of view be preserved in a scientific manner so that same may not deteriorate," the application avers.

More details about the application here: Gyanvapi | Application In Varanasi Court To Preserve Artefacts, Other Materials Found By ASI During Survey Of Mosque Complex

In his order passed earlier today, the district Judge AK Vishvesha heard the arguments of the Counsels for Rakhi Singh and the other 4 women petitioners and said that he shall be passing the orders on all three applications on Wednesday (September 13).

In related news, the Varanasi District Judge today granted the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) a further 8 weeks time to file its report pertaining to the Gyanvapi Survey. Earlier, the Court had asked it to submit its survey report by September 2.

The order was passed in an application moved by the ASI which stated that it would take some more time for the ASI to submit the report as a lot of trash/debris consisting of garbage, loose soil and building materials are dumped on the floor level in cellars as well as around the structure, covering the original features of the structure, and hence, it was taking time for the ASI to clear the same.