HC: PIL filed to ban entry of non-Muslims in Gyanvapi complex

Varanasi, Aug 2 A Day before the Allahabad High Court is scheduled to pronounce its order on the survey of Gyanvapi complex by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), a fresh Public Interest Litigation (PIL) praying to ban entry of non-Muslims and preserve Hindu symbols inside the Gyanvapi complex.
The PIL has been filed by Rakhi Singh and others, who have filed a plaint in the Varanasi court, seeking permission for day-to-day worship of Maa Shringar Gauri Sthal and other deities inside the Gyanvapi complex.
In the PIL it has been prayed that the entry of non-Muslims should be banned in the Gyanvapi complex till a decision of the Shringar Gauri case is not passed by the Varanasi court. It has also prayed that the Hindu symbols found in the Gyanvapi campus should be preserved.
It has also been demanded from the court that an arrangement should be made so that the work of ASI survey in Gyanvapi is not affected. The petitioners filed the PIL in the registry of the court through their counsel.
Meanwhile, a fresh application was also moved in the Varanasi district court on Wednesday seeking direction to preserve the entire complex. The application has been moved by Rakhi Singh, the plaintiff number one in Maa Shringar Gauri case, through her counsels Man Bahadur Singh and Anupam Dwivedi in the court of District Judge Ajay Krishna Vishvesha.
Counsel Anupam Dwivedi said that the court has fixed August 4 as the next date for objections and disposal of the application.
Rakhi Singh in her application has alleged that respondent number four in the original plaint Anjuman Intezamia Masajid Committee was destroying the historical evidence available in the complex and which are related to the Hindu religion. It has been pointed out that on July 21 the court ordered an inquiry by scientific method of the entire Gyanvapi premises through ASI.
The applicant has stated that she has come to know that when a survey was conducted by the ASI on July 24 between 7 am to 11 am the committee has locked the gate of the so-called mosque inside the premises and did not hand over the key to the ASI from which it clear that the respondent was doing such act with an intention of destroying the evidence related to Hindu religion.
She has stated that in such a situation, if the available evidence related to Hindu religion gets destroyed, then there will be problem and difficulty in disposal of the case as well as there will be problem in reaching the appropriate judicial conclusion.
It may be noted that the Varanasi district court has on July 21 directed for a scientific survey of the Gyanvapi complex by the ASI, which was directed to submit its report by August 4.
However, the Anjuman Intezamia Committee moved the Supreme Court which in its interim order on stayed the Varanasi district court’s order directing the ASI to carry out a survey of Gyanvapi mosque giving it time to file a petition in the High Court.
The Allahabad High Court after hearing the arguments of both the sides and submissions of the ASI officials reserved its order on July 27 and fixed August 3 as the next date.