synopsis

Presided over by AK Vishvesh, the court upheld the plea of a group of Hindu devotees who sought a scientific survey to investigate whether the mosque was built on the site of a Hindu temple.

The Varanasi court on Friday (July 21) granted permission for a scientific survey of the Gyanvapi mosque premises, excluding the 'Wazukhana' area. The court's decision came in response to a petition seeking a scientific survey, including carbon dating, to determine the age of the "Shivling" found at the Gyanvapi mosque.

Presided over by AK Vishvesh, the court upheld the plea of a group of Hindu devotees who sought a scientific survey to investigate whether the mosque was built on the site of a Hindu temple. However, the barricaded 'wazukhana,' which houses a structure claimed by Hindu litigants to be a 'shivling,' will not be part of the survey.

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In response to the ongoing dispute over the Gyanvapi mosque, the mosque authorities have maintained that the disputed structure is, in fact, a part of a fountain located in the 'wazukhana,' a place for ablutions before namaz. To resolve the matter, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) will carry out the scientific survey, with the final report scheduled to be submitted by August 4. The court's next hearing is also set for the same date.

The Hindu side had previously filed a petition, urging the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to conduct a comprehensive survey of the entire Gyanvapi mosque complex. Vishnu Shankar Jain, the counsel representing the Hindu side, expressed satisfaction with the court's decision, stating, "the survey will be done. We will file a caveat if the Muslim side approaches Allahabad High Court or the Supreme Court."

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Advocate Subhash Nandan Chaturvedi also hailed the order terming it as a "turning point" in the case. "Our application for the ASI survey has been accepted. It’s a turning point in the case," he said.

Following the previous hearing on July 14, Vishnu Shankar Jain, the counsel representing the Hindu side, had emphasized their request for a comprehensive archaeological and scientific investigation of the entire Gyanvapi complex, with the exception of the 'wazukhana.'

Jain firmly asserted that the resolution of the dispute between the Kashi Vishwanath temple and Gyanvapi mosque is contingent upon conducting a thorough archaeological investigation of the entire mosque complex.