Varanasi: In a major decision, the Civil Judge on Thursday rejected the request to replace Advocate Commissioner Ajay Kumar Mishra appointed for the videography of Gyanvapi mosque complex and directed that the exercise must be completed before May 17.
The court also appointed one more Special Advocate Commissioner, Vishal Singh, and an Assistant Advocate Commissioner Ajay Pratap Singh.
The court said: "If Ajay Mishra is unavailable, then the exercise will be carried out by Vishal Singh and vice versa. The district administration will not try to postpone the commission proceedings by making any excuse."
It has fixed May 17 as the next date of hearing. The counsel said the court of Civil Judge (Senior Division) Ravi Kumar Diwakar has asked the Advocate Commissioner to submit his report.
The court has directed videography of the entire campus, including the basement. The videography will be done between 8 am and 1 pm.
The court has directed the administration to make proper arrangements and help in videography either by opening the locks or breaking them. He said that only advocate commissioners, litigants and opponents and the district officials will remain present during the survey.
The court has directed that penal action will be taken against persons who will oppose or create hurdles in the process. The survey work is likely to start from Saturday.
The Muslim side had accused the Advocate Commissioner of being discriminatory and demanded his replacement. They said there was no direction by the court to do videography inside the mosque.
It may be mentioned that the videography started on May 6, but could not be continued on May 7 as the team could not enter inside the barricading due to objections by the Intezamia Committee. (UNI)