May 13: The Supreme Court on Friday agreed to list a plea against the Allahabad High Court order, which dismissed in April, a petition challenging a Varanasi court’s order to appoint an advocate as a court commissioner to inspect the Kashi Vishwanath Mandir-Gyanvapi Masjid complex.
Senior advocate Huzefa Ahmadi mentioned a plea challenging the high court order dismissing a plea challenging a Varanasi court’s order to appoint an advocate as a court commissioner to inspect the Kashi Vishwanath Mandir-Gyanvapi Masjid complex. Ahmadi mentioned the plea before a bench headed by Chief Justice N.V. Ramana.
The bench said: “We don’t know anything about the matter… We have no details. How can we pass the order…” Ahmadi said, “Please grant status quo…”, and added that the mosque has been covered under Places of Worship Act.
The bench said: “Let me look at the papers, We will list it…”
On Thursday, a Varanasi court ordered resumption of the video survey of the Gyanvapi mosque complex, including the basement and closed rooms. The Muslim parties had objected to the survey. The court said the survey report should be submitted on May 17.
The Varanasi court also declined to entertain the demand of Muslim parties to remove advocate commissioner Ajai Kumar Mishra, instead appointed two additional commissioners — lawyers Vishal Singh and Ajay Pratap Singh — to assist him.
