Gyanvapi Mosque case: SC says secure ‘Shivling' area, namaz to go on; survey report on May 19 | Top points

Gyanvapi Mosque row: The Supreme Court directed the district magistrate of Varanasi to ensure the protection of the area inside the Gyanvapi-Shringar Gauri complex where a ‘shivling’ was found

The decade-old Gyanvapi Mosque controversy rages on, with both the Hindu petitioners and the Anjuman Intezamia Masajid Committee firm on their claims. On Tuesday, the Supreme Court directed the district magistrate of Varanasi to ensure the protection of the area inside the Gyanvapi-Shringar Gauri complex where a ‘shivling’ was found. The top court, however, said that there should ne no restrictions to Muslims offering namaz in the complex, while putting the matter up for hearing on Thursday.

The Gyanvapi Mosque in Varanasi.(Reuters)

With the Gyanvapi Mosque controversy dominating the political discourse, here are other top developments of the day.

1. A local court in Varanasi granted two more days for submitting the survey report by the court-mandated commission on the Gyanvapi Mosque complex. However, it removed advocate commissioner Ajay Mishra from his post after one of the camerapersons accompanying him leaked proceedings in the media.

2. After being sacked as the advocate commissioner in the panel deputed to conduct the survey inside the Gyanvapi Mosque complex, Ajay Mishra denied charges of defying court secrecy. In fact, while stating he would respect court order, Mishra blamed special advocate commissioner Vishal Singh. ““I have not done anything that reveals the secrecy of the matter. I was removed because of the allegations of advocate Vishal Singh…Whatever has happened is only because of (him),” he alleged.

3. During the hearing in Supreme Court, the bench comprising justices DY Chandrachud and PS Narasimha questioned the locus standi of an office-bearer of a Hindu organisation who had moved a plea seeking to intervene and oppose the petition of the mosque committee. “Who are you,” a bench of Justices D Y Chandrachud and P S Narasimha asked, adding that in a civil lawsuit there was hardly any scope for such an intervention, PTI reported.

4. All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen chief Asaduddin Owaisi said he was hopeful that the top court would stay the sealing order passed by the local court amid reports of a ‘shivling’ being found in the mosque premises during the videographed survey. “The order is unfair. We hope the SC will completely stay the order and recognise the unfairness in ignoring the 1991 Places of Worship Act, the Allahabad HC order and the sealing of the premises without hearing the other party. The order of the trial court was wrong, unfair and illegal,” news agency ANI quoted Owaisi.

5. The Bharatiya Janata Party has said that the religious issues like that of the Gyanvapi Mosque complex have been raised by common citizens and not the party. "No BJP worker has filed the case in the (Varanasi) court on the issue of Gyanvapi Mosque....the case has been filed by a common citizen who is a great devotee of Lord Shiva,” PTI quoted BJP general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya.