Varanasi (UP): A court here on Friday reserved its order for July 21 on a petition seeking a scientific survey of the Gyanvapi mosque located next to the Kashi Vishwanath temple.
The petition filed by the Hindu side of the case had sought a direction to the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to survey the entire Gyanvapi mosque complex.
"We had put before the court the demand for an archaeological and scientific investigation of the entire Gyanvapi complex except the 'vajukhana'. After hearing both sides, the court reserved the verdict for July 21," said Vishnu Shankar Jain, the counsel for the Hindu side. Jain said he argued that the Kashi Vishwanath temple-Gyanvapi mosque dispute can be resolved only by an archaeological investigation of the entire mosque complex.
Earlier, Hindu petitioners in Gyanvapi case urged the Supreme Court to hear at the earliest a petition challenging Allahabad High Court's order directing the Archaeological Survey of India to conduct a "scientific survey", including carbon dating, of a "Shivling" said to have been found at the Gyanvapi mosque complex in Varanasi during a videographic survey last year.
Petitioners wrote a letter to the Registrar of the Supreme Court stating that the case was listed before the apex court on May 19, 2023, when it had deferred the implementation of the directions till July 6, 2023.
"Request you to list the above-mentioned case before the Court at the earliest," the letter written by advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain stated.
The Supreme Court had earlier put on hold the carbon dating of the "Shivling" saying that the implementation of the directions contained in the Allahabad High Court's order shall stand deferred till the next date of hearing.
