Gyanvapi Masjid Filming Ends A Day Before The Hearing

65 per cent of the survey was completed by Sunday.

Varanasi/ Uttar Pradesh: Ahead of the hearing of the court in Varanasi, the court-mandated three-day videography survey of the Gyanvapi Masjid complex in Uttar Pradesh's Varanasi has ended a day before the next hearing of the case court. The last day of filming began this morning amid tight security and restrictions near the complex.

"The survey commission has completed its work today. It has filmed all the places in detail. Three domes, underground basements, pond...all have been video recorded. The advocate commissioner will submit his report in the court tomorrow which will be prepared by the three commission members today. If the report is not finished on time, we will ask the court for more time," the government lawyer Mahendra Prasad Pandey told NDTV, adding that the entire process was peaceful.

According to the officials, around 65 per cent of the survey was completed by Sunday.

The mosque is located close to the iconic Kashi Vishwanath temple and the local court is hearing a plea by a group of women seeking permission for daily prayers before the idols on its outer walls.

Five Hindu women have sought year-long access to pray at the shrine behind the mosque. The site is currently open for prayers once a year. The women also want permission to pray to other "visible and invisible deities within the old temple complex".

A part of this survey took place on May 6 but was halted after a dispute broke out over filming inside the mosque. The mosque committee said the court had not ordered videography inside the mosque. The petitioners' lawyer, however, insisted that the court had given a go-ahead.

Hearing the matter last week, the local court had ordered videography can happen at all places asked for by the petitioners.

Vikram Shukla, a lawyer for petitioners, told NDTV on the first day of filming that they were satisfied with the proceedings.