Plea for advocate commissioner removal to be opposed in court
VARANASI: Advocates of the plaintiffs on Sunday said they will file an objection in the court of the civil judge (Senior Division) Ravi Kumar Diwakar here on May 9 (Monday) against a petition that seeks the removal or replacement of the court-appointed advocate commissioner Ajai Kumar who has been tasked with carrying out a survey of the Maa Shringar Gauri Sthal in the Kashi Vishwanath-Gyanvapi complex in Varanasi.
The Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee, which manages the Gyanvapi mosque, filed the petition on Saturday for removing or replacing the current advocate commissioner in the court of the civil judge (senior division). After hearing the petition on Saturday, the court fixed May 9 for the next hearing.
The advocate commissioner and his team could not conduct a survey of the Gyanvapi mosque in Varanasi on Saturday as advocates of the Anjuman Intezamia Committee opposed the exercise, another advocate said. Saturday was the second day of the exercise.
“We will file an objection in the court of civil judge (senior division) Ravi Kumar Diwakar on May 9 against the petition filed by Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee seeking removal of advocate commissioner Ajai Kumar,” said Sudhir Tripathi, who is one of the advocates representing the plaintiffs Rakhi Singh, Manju Vyas, Sita Sahu and Rekha Pathak, who filed a petition in court in 2021, seeking permission for daily worship at Maa Shringar Gauri Sthal.
“The allegation by the lawyers of the Masjid committee that the advocate commissioner is biased and conducting the survey keeping in view the interest of the plaintiffs is completely baseless. The advocate commissioner conducted the proceedings of the survey in a quite fair (way). We will urge the court that the advocate commissioner should not be changed,” Tripathi said.
Tripathi and another advocate Subhash Nandan Chaturvedi will apprise the court that the survey hit a hurdle on Saturday as the advocate commissioner and his team were stopped from entering Gyanvapi premises by lawyers representing the Masjid committee and people associated with it, said another advocate associated with the matter.
Abhay Nath Yadav, an advocate of the Anjuman Intezamia Masjid committee, said, “We filed a petition in the court of the civil Judge (senior division) Ravi Kumar Diwakar, urging the court to remove or replace the advocate commissioner Ajai Kumar with a senior lawyer because (on the first day) he conducted the proceeding of the survey as per wish of the advocates of the petitioners (seeking permission for daily worship at Maa Shringar Gauri Sthal).”
After hearing the matter, the court directed the plaintiffs and advocate commissioner to present his side in the court on the date (May 9), said Abhay Nath Yadav. A copy of the order by the court was delivered to the advocate commissioner and the petitioners, he added.
They have been directed to come with all documents and evidences to present their side.
SM Yasin, joint secretary of the Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee, on April 30, had said that no one would be allowed to enter the mosque for the survey.
On Friday, survey of Maa Shringar Gauri Sthal in Kashi Vishwanath-Gyanvapi complex had begun in the presence of all the parties amid tight security.
On Saturday, the advocate commissioner Ajai Kumar with his team arrived for the survey and videography of many deities, including Shringar Gauri, located in the Gyanvapi complex, Varanasi. But the survey could not start as the advocates of the mosque management committee, who arrived about an hour after the survey team, opposed it.
A huge crowd gathered outside the Kashi Vishwanath-Gyanvapi complex and shouted slogans. Police personnel drove them away. One person was taken into custody.
On Friday, too, some sloganshouting was witnessed when the court-ordered survey began under tight security in Varanasi.
The court of the civil judge (senior division) of Varanasi, Ravi Kumar Diwakar, on April 26 had ordered videography of the Maa Shringar Gauri Sthal by the advocate commissioner.
The case is titled Rakhi Singh and others versus UP state and Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee. The local court had on April 8, 2022, appointed Ajai Kumar as the advocate commissioner in the case.
CASE REGISTERED FOR HINDERING GOVT WORK
In the meantime, a case was registered against one Abdul Salam and five unidentified people for creating hindrance in government work, spreading hatred between two communities and disturbing the peace on Saturday, a police officer said and added that five others were being identified from video clippings. Abdul and several others reportedly shouted slogans opposing the survey when the team arrived at the Kashi Vishwanath-Gyanvapi Complex on Saturday. Abdul has been arrested and further investigation is on.