A Varanasi court on Friday allowed an application filed by four Hindu women worshippers seeking a survey of the Gyanvapi mosque premises by the Archaeological Survey of India to ascertain whether the premises was built on a pre-existing structure of the Hindu temple.

The verdict, pronounced by a court of district judge AK Vishwesha today, comes as a big win for the Hindu side which has claimed that the Gyanvapi mosque premises were built on a pre-existing Hindu religious structure and sought a scientific probe to ascertain the veracity of the claims.

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In its verdict, the court directed that the scientific survey by ASI should take place between 8-12 AM. The court further clarified that there will be no restrictions on namaz and cautioned that no damage should be caused to the Gyanvapi mosque.

The court also clarified that the ASI survey will not be carried out in the Wazukhana, or the area already ordered to be sealed by the Supreme Court.

The application, filed in May this year, is part of a broader suit filed by four Hindu worshippers seeking all-year-round worshipping rights in the Gyanvapi Mosque compound. The case is pending before the Varanasi district court.

The verdict in the application today assumes significance because of its content. The application states that the ‘Swayambhu Jyotirlinga’ existed at the site in question (Gyanvapi Mosque Premises) for lakhs of years, but “was destroyed/damaged several times by Muslim Invaders who had hatred against infidels and idol worshippers beginning with the attack of Mahmud Ghazni in 1017 AD”.

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The plea further contended that Mughal emperor Aurangzeb issued a directive in 1669 to demolish the Lord Adivisheshwar temple at the site. Later on, a new temple in the name of Kashi Vishwanath was built in 1777-1780 by Rani Ahilyabai Holkar, the queen of Indore, adjacent to the demolished structure.

The application claimed that the Gyanvapi mosque premises, currently in a dilapidated condition, is not a mosque but the remains of an old Hindu temple. The plea further points out that the survey in May 2022 had “found a Shiva Linga” on the first floor of the building, which was eventually sealed on the orders of the Supreme Court.

It further pointed to the findings cited in the report of the Advocate Commissioners, elaborating how the entire mosque premises has numerous artefacts and signs of a Hindu temple.

Citing these findings and their own beliefs, the Hindu women worshippers prayed to the court to direct a survey by the ASI of the entire Gyanvapi mosque premises so that the assumptions can be proved through scientific methods.