The Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered the District Magistrate of Varanasi to ensure that the area where the shivling is said to be found shall be duly protected, without any impediment to the access of Muslims to the mosque.
A bench comprising of Justices DY Chandrachud and PS Narasimha after listening to a plea by the Committee of Management of Anjuman Intezamia Masjid issued order that Muslims can continue offering ‘namaz’ there without any restrain.
Meanwhile, a local Varanasi court removed Ajay Kumar Mishra from his post, who was appointed as Advocate-Commissioner for leaking information from the survey to the media.
The Varanasi court on Tuesday directed that a pond area in the mosque complex, where the shivling was claimed to be found during the survey, to be sealed.
The court had ordered to conduct a survey following the petitions moved by five Hindu women, who demanded for year-long access to pray at a Hindu shrine behind the western wall of the mosque complex.
However, the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991, prohibits conversion of places of worship.
