Hyderabad: All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Tuesday termed the Varanasi court’s order on the Kashi-Vishwanath temple-Gyanvapi Mosque issue as wrong, unfair and illegal.
Earlier on Monday, the Varanasi court directed the district administration to seal the spot of the survey inside the complex where allegedly ‘Shivling’ has been found by the surveying team.
He told ANI, “The order is unfair. We hope SC will completely stay the order and recognise unfairness in ignoring the 1991 Places of Worship Act, Allahabad HC order and sealing without hearing of the other party. The order of the trial court was wrong, unfair and illegal.”
“We are hopeful that SC will do complete justice as grave procedural unfairness happened. Commissioner didn’t give a report to the lower court judge, the petitioner moved an application and before the notice was given to the Muslim side, the judge passed an order to protect the area and limit ‘namazis’ to 20,” he added.
As the third day of the court-ordered videography survey of the Kashi Vishwanath Temple-Gyanvapi Mosque complex in Varanasi concluded on Monday, the Hindu petitioner in the case, Sohan Lal Arya claimed that the committee found a Shivling at the complex.
Arya, who accompanied the court commission for the mosque survey, said that they have found “conclusive evidence”.
The three days long survey, however, has been completed. The survey was conducted in accordance with the Varanasi Civil Court’s order to continue the survey despite objections from the mosque authorities.
After the conclusion of the survey, the Varanasi court ordered the District Magistrate of Varanasi, Kaushal Raj Sharma, “to seal the area where the Shivling was found and to bar people from going to the place.”
In its order, the court said that the DM, police commissioner and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) commandant Varanasi will be responsible for the security of the sealed area.
The civil court had appointed a court commissioner to conduct the survey and videography of the site and the same was challenged before Allahabad High Court, which dismissed the appeal on April 21. The April 21 order of the High Court was challenged in the apex court.
Five women had filed a petition in the court seeking permission for daily worship at the Shringar Gauri temple, which is claimed to be situated inside the Gyanvapi Mosque premises.
The order of the civil court for undertaking survey and videography at the premises was subsequently given by the court.
Another petition, which was filed by one Vijay Shankar Rastogi, had contended that the entire premises belonged to the Kashi Vishwanath Temple and that the Gyanvapi Mosque is only a part of the temple complex, is also pending in the court since 1991.
Rastogi had also claimed that the Kashi Vishwanath Temple had been built over 2,000 years ago and the temple was demolished by the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb.
Advocate Vishal Singh, the Court-appointed special assistant commissioner, in Varanasi, said that the survey was conducted in an unhindered manner.
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