Varanasi: Gyanvapi survey report to be placed in court today

VARANASI: Delayed by two days, the much-anticipated Gyanvapi survey report compiled by a court-appointed commission will be submitted to Varanasi civil judge (senior division) Ravi Kumar Diwakar on Thursday, coinciding with hearings related to a plea to raze the northern basement wall of the mosque in search of "evidence" to supplement claims of a shivling being found in the wuzu khana (ablution pond).
In what will be a busy day for the court, the civil judge will also take up a petition objecting to a suggestion by the district government counsel (civil) to make alternative wuzu arrangements for Muslims visiting the mosque for prayers.
On Wednesday, the five women plaintiffs in the Shringar Gauri worship case filed another petition seeking the reinclusion of sacked advocate commissioner Ajay Kumar Mishra in the commission. They argued that compiling a comprehensive report without Mishra's participation would be a legal error. The court will hear the plea on Thursday.
Mishra had been removed on Tuesday over an alleged information leak that led a lawyer to claim ahead of the survey report that a shivling was found in the pond.
While sacking Mishra for failing to act responsibly and engaging a private photographer who allegedly leaked details to the media, the court directed special advocate commissioner Vishal Singh to table the survey report on Thursday.
The report of the commission's videography survey of the outer area of the Gyanvapi premises, conducted on May 6 and 7 under Mishra's supervision, was submitted to the civil judge on Wednesday. The court took it on record.
The original Shringar Gauri case initiated by plaintiffs Rakhi Singh of Delhi and Varanasi natives Laxmi Devi, Sita Sahu, Manju Vyas and Rekha Pathak on April 18 last year pertains to unhindered daily worship of the goddess along with the idols of Ganesh, Hanuman and Nandi