Gyanvapi Mosque case: Court accepts plea seeking complete survey of Gyanvapi complex

District Court Varanasi has accepted the plea and has asked Anjuman Intezamia to file its objection in court by May 19. The next hearing in the plea is on May 22.

Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh): Days after the Allahabad High Court order to conduct carbon dating of alleged 'Shivling', which was found during the survey in Gyanvapi Mosque campus last year, another application has been filed in the District Court by advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain, representing the Hindu side, demanding to conduct a survey of the entire Gyanvapi complex by the ASI (Archaeological Survey of India).

District Court Varanasi has accepted the plea and has asked Anjuman Intezamia to file its objection in court by May 19. The next hearing in the plea is on May 22. "We had filed an application that the whole premises of the alleged mosque should be surveyed using Ground Penetrating Radar. Today, District Court, Varanasi, has directed Anjuman Intezamia, UP govt, to file its objection in court by May 19, next hearing on May 22, said Advocate Jain.

Apart from this, they also demanded to conduct a survey of the ancient Adi Vishweshwar-Kashi Vishwanath temple by the Archaeological Survey Department through the GPR method.

The Allahabad High Court on Friday, allowed the Archeological Survey of India (ASI) to conduct carbon dating of alleged 'Shivling', which was found during the survey in Gyanvapi Mosque campus. The order has been given by Justice Arvind Kumar Mishra on the petition of Lakshmi Devi and others. The court accepted the petition that was filed to challenge the decision of the Varanasi district court which had refused to allow the carbon dating citing the Supreme Court's order to maintain the status quo.

Varanasi District Court had rejected the application demanding carbon dating on October 14, 2022. "The matter is being heard by the Supreme Court. In such a situation, the civil court does not have the right to pass orders," the court had said. Notably, the court has asked to conduct carbon dating without damaging or causing any harm to the structure. Carbon dating refers to a method of calculating the age of very old objects by measuring the amounts of different forms of carbon in them.

Jain, representing the Hindu side in the Gyanvapi mosque case, told ANI, "...The ASI has presented several techniques of scientific survey before the court. On 22nd May, District Judge will decide how will the scientific survey be carried out."

The 'Wazu' area of the Gyanvapi mosque is the centre of the Gyanvapi mosque-Kashi Vishwanath temple dispute between Hindus and Muslims since the Hindu parties claim that 'Shivling' has been found in that spot, however, the Muslim side disputed the same and said that it is only a water fountain.

On May 20, 2022, the Supreme Court ordered the transfer of the case related to worship at Gyanvapi mosque from the civil judge to the district judge, Varanasi. On May 17, 2022, in an interim order, the top court directed the authorities to protect the 'Wazu' area where the 'Shivling' was reportedly found and granted access to Muslims for namaz.