Gyanvapi case: Varanasi Court to entertain plea seeking survey of two basements on November 2

New Delhi: A district court here fixed November 2 for a hearing on a plea for the survey of two basements in the Gyanvapi Mosque complex and imposed a penalty on the mosque committee for not filing an objection to it in time. District Government Counsel Mahendra Pandey said the court had earlier asked the mosque committee to file an objection to the plea filed by Hindu plaintiffs in the Gyanvapi mosque-Shringar Gauri complex case. "The mosque side could not file any objection, after which the court slapped a fine of Rs 100 on them and fixed November 2 for hearing," Pandey added.

The court also denied four people's requests to become parties in the case on Friday. Earlier in the day, the court denied similar applications from seven people. Former Kashi Vishwanath temple mahant Kulpati Tiwari, Hindu Sena national president Vishnu Gupta, weaver Mukhtar Ahmed Ansari, and Brahmin Mahasabha president Ajay Kumar Sharma were among those who had filed applications to become parties in the case, according to Pandey. While some of the applicants prayed to become parties to the case seeking permission for regular worship of deities whose idols are located on the mosque's outer wall, others claimed to have detailed knowledge of the matter.

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Lawyers connected with the case have been claiming that the basements are located near the "wazookhana", a place for the ritual ablution in the mosque complex. One of the petitioners from the Hindu side also pleaded for ensuring the safety of the idols of Lord Ganesh and Goddess Lakshmi, which they claimed have been recovered from the complex. Last Friday, the court had turned down the Hindu petitioners' plea seeking scientific investigation and carbon dating of a "Shivling" claimed to have been found on the mosque premises. The Muslim side has rejected the claim. The Gyanvapi mosque is located next to the iconic Kashi Vishwanath temple and the case in the Varanasi court has revived claims that the mosque was built on a portion of the Hindu structure demolished on the orders of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb.

(With agencies' inputs)