Gyanvapi row: Supreme Court seeks Masjid committee’s response on ASI survey request by Hindu worshippers

Gyanvapi row: The bench has scheduled a hearing for December 17 and will also hear other related petitions, including one seeking to consolidate all suits and transfer them from the Varanasi district court to the Allahabad High Court.

The Supreme Court on Friday sought the response of the Gyanvapi Masjid Committee on a plea filed by Hindu worshippers requesting an Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) survey of the sealed area of the mosque in Varanasi, where a “Shivlinga” is claimed to have been found.

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A bench comprising Justice Surya Kant and Justice Ujjal Bhuyan issued notice to the Committee of Management, Anjuman Intezemia Masajid, which manages the Gyanvapi mosque, regarding the application filed by the worshippers.

The bench has scheduled a hearing for December 17 and will also hear other related petitions, including one seeking to consolidate all suits and transfer them from the Varanasi district court to the Allahabad High Court.

Also Read:Allahabad HC rejects Muslim side’s plea, Hindu prayers to continue in Gyanvapi basement

The application argued that since part of the building was sealed by an interim order in May 2022, confirmed by another order in November 2022, the ASI had not been able to survey the sealed area, which is said to contain crucial evidence for the case.

“It is submitted that there are important evidence and material relating to the temple within the sealed area and same are importance pieces of evidence for decision of the case. The portion of the building in question is also required to be surveyed by ASI in the same manner as the remaining area of the building in question has been surveyed by various scientific techniques as contained in report of December 18, 2023,” the application said, PTI reported.

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The petitioners requested that the sealed portion of the mosque be surveyed by the ASI using scientific methods, as was done for other areas of the property. They also urged the court to modify the interim order to allow for this survey.

Earlier, the top court had put on hold the carbon dating of the “Shivling,” deferring the implementation of the Allahabad High Court’s directions on the matter. The High Court had earlier permitted a scientific survey of the “Shivling” in the Gyanvapi complex under the supervision of the District Judge of Varanasi, but the apex court deferred this in its ruling, stating that the implications of the order required closer scrutiny.

The controversy surrounding the “Shivling” arose during a court-mandated survey of the Gyanvapi mosque on May 16, 2022, with the Hindu side claiming the object to be a “Shivling” and the Muslim side asserting it to be a “fountain.” The High Court had earlier set aside a Varanasi District Judge’s order rejecting a petition for a scientific survey and carbon dating of the structure.