A district court here on Thursday rejected the plea to change the court-appointed advocate commissioner for conducting a video survey of the Gyanvapi-Shringar Gauri complex and appointed two additional advocate commissioners to assist him.

The court also directed that the survey be completed by May 17 and reports submitted, said Abhay Nath Yadav, who is representing the Gyanvapi mosque management committee.

The court of Civil Judge (Senior Division) Ravi Kumar Diwakar, which had also heard the matter relating to the opening of the two basements located inside the mosque complex for videography, delivered the verdict after hearing the arguments of both the sides.

The Gyanvapi mosque management committee had filed an application seeking a replacement of court official Ajay Kumar Mishra, who was assigned to do the survey, claiming he was not impartial.

The videography survey of the mosque, located next to the iconic Kashi Vishwanath temple, was ordered earlier by Judge Diwakar on a plea by women petitioners Rakhi Singh, Laxmi Devi, Sita Sahu and others seeking permission to perform daily worship of deities Shringar Gauri, Lord Ganesha, Lord Hanuman and Nandi whose idols are located on the outer wall of the Gyanvapi mosque.

They had moved the court with their plea on April 18, 2021, and had also sought the court's order to stop the opponents from causing any damage to the idols.

The counsel for the mosque management committee had contended that the court had not given any order to conduct the videography inside the mosque but to do it only till the 'chabutra' (courtyard) outside the barricades enclosing the mosque area.

The court commissioner had on Friday, May 6 conducted an inconclusive survey of some areas outside Gyanvapi Masjid in the Gyanvapi-Shringar Gauri complex amid brief sloganeering by two sides.