The Supreme Court, hearing a petition challenging the filming of Varanasi's Gyanvapi mosque, on Friday said "selective leaks" to the press must stop. This comes after Hindu petitioners released details of the mosque filming report just hours after it was handed over to a Varanasi court in a sealed cover on Thursday. The Supreme Court also said there is a "need for healing touch" and a sense of "balance and calm on the ground" is needed.
Earlier this week, lawyers representing these petitioners claimed that a Shivling was found during the videography survey of the Gyanvapi mosque-Shringar Gauri complex. The claim was disputed by the mosque committee members who said it was part of the water fountain mechanism in the wazookhana reservoir, used by devotees to perform ritual ablutions before offering namaz. The district court had then ordered the sealing of the ‘wazookhana'.
The Supreme Court had directed the Varanasi court on Tuesday to ensure the protection of the area where the Shivling is claimed to have been found, but without impeding “religious observances”.
