SC allows cleaning of water tank in sealed area in Varanasi's Gyanvapi mosque

The Supreme Court on Tuesday permitted the cleaning of the sealed 'wazukhana tank' inside the Gyanvapi mosque, where the 'Shivlingam' was allegedly found amid dead fish and dirt. The water tank and the surrounding area were sealed following the order on May 16, 2022, passed by a civil judge.

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday allowed a plea of four Hindu women plaintiffs in the Gyanvapi mosque case seeking a directive to the Varanasi district magistrate for cleaning a water tank, which falls in the sealed area inside the mosque. The water tank and the surrounding area were sealed following the order on May 16, 2022, passed by a civil judge in Varanasi, and the order of sealing was subsumed in an order on May 20, 2022, passed by the apex court.

A three-judge bench led by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud said that the cleaning process will be done under the supervision of the Varanasi district magistrate. Senior advocate Huzefa Ahmadi, representing the Muslim side, said his clients had no objection to this. In December last year, in the Gyanvapi mosque row, the Hindu side had filed an application in the Supreme Court seeking a direction to the district magistrate, Varanasi, to clean the area surrounding the Shivlingam, which has been sealed following the orders passed by the apex court.

The petitioners stressed the significance of Shivlingam, claiming it to be sacred to Hindus. They urged it to be kept clean and away from dirt and dead animals. However, it was lying amid dead fish, hurting the sentiments of devotees of Lord Shiva.

The advocate commissioners appointed by the civil judge, during the survey, indeed found the Shivlingam to be lying in a water tank where the members of the Muslim community were performing ‘Wazu’ (or Wudhu) is a cleansing ritual or ablution, which is an important part of purity and cleanliness in Islam before offering prayers. "Since the case was pending before the Supreme Court, only it could have given an order on the matter," the Hindu side's advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain said.