A Varanasi Court on Friday dismissed the batch of petitions filed by four women seeking carbon dating and scientific probe into the alleged ‘Shivling’ found inside the Gyanvapi masjid complex, reported news agency ANI.
Petitioners belonging to the Hindu community had claimed that a “Shivling” was found close to “wazookhana”, a small reservoir used by Muslim devotees to perform ritual ablutions before offering namaz. The Muslim community had said that the object was part of the “fountain”, reported PTI.
The “Shivling” was allegedly found during a video survey carried out in the mosque premises on orders of a lower court earlier this year.
District Government Counsel Mahendra Pratap Pandey had said that arguments on the plea were completed on Tuesday and the verdict will be delivered today.
In September, four Hindu petitioners had filed a plea seeking “scientific investigation” of the “Shivling”, saying it was necessary to determine its age. They further claimed the idols of Hindu Gods and Goddesses are inside the mosque’s premises.
Carbon dating is a scientific process to find the age of an object, and is frequently used in archeological finds, such as fossils.
The Muslim side had earlier objected to the carbon dating as they did not want the object be damaged. Advocate Mumtaz Ahmed, who appeared for the Muslim side, had stated that if the object gets damaged, it amounts to defiance of a Supreme Court order, reported PTI. The Muslim side also said the original case is about the worship of Shringar Gauri, while the structure in the mosque has no connection with it.
