Muslims reached the Gyanvapi mosque in large numbers on Friday to offer namaz, which passed off peacefully.
When the Gyanvapi mosque complex became overcrowded with the namazis, the district administration and police urged them to go to other mosques to offer namaz. The district administration had to close the entrance gate of the mosque for a short time.
The Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee, which looks after the management of the mosque, had a day earlier appealed to Muslims not to go to the Gyanvapi mosque in large numbers to offer namaz because they could face inconvenience as the wazu khana had been sealed by the district administration on the directive of the court. But despite this appeal, the namazis reached there in large numbers.
The district administration had made no restriction on wuzu and had made arrangements of water for this religious ritual.
There was a heavy deployment of security personnel to ensure peaceful namaz at the Gyanvapi mosque.
Meanwhile, the Muslim side will file its objections to the Gyanvapi mosque complex survey report and stick to its stand that no structure like Shivling has been found in the wazu khana (ablution place) of the mosque, as claimed by the Hindu side.
“We have so far not received the certified copy of the survey report submitted by Special Court Commissioner Vishal Singh but will file our objections as some claims being made by the Hindi side on the basis of survey report are objectionable,” advocate of the Muslim side (defendant) Abhay Yadav said while talking to The Pioneer on Friday.
“There is no mention of Shivling in the survey report and rather it is mentioned as a structure resembling a Shivling'. It is the Hindu side which claiming the structure to be a Shivling while it looks like a fountain,” Yadav said, reiterating the claim of the Muslim side.
The Hindu side has claimed that a Shivling has been found in the wazu khana during the survey while the Muslim side has made counterclaim that it is a fountain.
On Thursday, Special Court Commissioner Vishal Singh along with Assistant Court Commissioner Ajay Pratap Singh had submitted his report of videographic survey inside the Gyanvapi mosque complex, including the Gyanvapi mosque, conducted on May 14, 15 an 16, in the court of Civil Judge (Senior Division) Ravi Kumar Diwakar. One report of the survey carried out by Court Commissioner Ajay Kumar Mishra on May 6 and 7 was also submitted in the court but the Muslim side termed this report as unauthentic.
“As the court had removed Court Commissioner Ajay Kumar Mishra questioning his fairness during the survey, his report cannot not be said to be authentic,” the advocate of the defendant said.
Civil Judge (Senior Division) Ravi Kumar Diwakar will hear the application filed by the advocates of the plaintiff seeking demolition of the wall of the room-like structure of wazu khana in which a Shivling is claimed to have been found during the survey, on May 23
On the same date the court will hear another application filed by the district government counsel seeking permission to shift the fishes in the wazu khana to safer places to save their lives.
The Muslim side has filed its objections on both applications.
The court will also hear objections to the survey report submitted by the special court commissioner.
