A court-appointed panel’s videography survey of Varanasi’s Gyanvapi mosque concluded on the third day on Monday amid elaborate security arrangements.
According to a source familiar with the situation, 80 percent of the premises was surveyed in eight hours over two days until Sunday.
On Monday, the survey work began around 8 a.m., and all parties were instructed to remain present.
The survey commission’s proceedings began at 8 a.m. on Sunday, according to Varanasi police commissioner A Satish Ganesh. He added that arrangements had been made so that devotees visiting the Kashi Vishwanath temple would not be inconvenienced.
On the orders of a local court hearing a petition for daily worship of the Shringar Gauri Sthal in the Kashi Vishwanath-Gyanvapi complex, the survey included videography and inspection of the Gyanvapi complex premises.
The Dhundhi Raj Ganesh Gate and the Ganga River Gate allowed devotees to enter the Kashi Vishwanath temple. The general public’s entrance to Gyanvapi’s joint gate number 4 was closed for four hours.
The survey was halted last week due to objections from the mosque committee, which claimed that the court-appointed advocate commissioner did not have the authority to film inside the mosque.
On Thursday, District Civil Judge (Senior Division) Ravi Kumar Diwakar denied the mosque committee’s request to replace Ajay Kumar Mishra, who had been appointed by the court as advocate commissioner to survey the Gyanvapi-Gauri Shringar complex.
The judge also named two additional advocates to assist the court commissioner with the survey, which is expected to be completed by Tuesday.
