LUCKNOW: The Varanasi District Court admitted a petition filed to demand a detailed scientific investigation and survey by the Archeological Survey of India (ASI) of the entire Gyanvapi mosque, on Tuesday.
As many as eight plaintiffs, including the four Hindu women plaintiffs who had sought worship of Maa Shringar Gauri and other deities on Gyanvapi mosque premises (18/2022 Rakhi Singh vs UP state and others), filed three suits before Varanasi district judge court, on Tuesday, demanding the detailed scientific investigation of the present structure of Gyanvapi mosque using modern technological tools like GPR Survey, excavation, dating method and other modern techniques.
The petitioners also demanded an investigation of the age and nature of the construction of the western wall of the Gyanvapi premises. Supreme Court lawyer Vishnu Shankar Jain had filed the petition on behalf of the six Hindu plaintiffs, said district government counsel Mahendra Nath Pandey.
Supreme Court lawyer Vishnu Shankar Jain had filed the petition on behalf of the six Hindu plaintiffs, said district government counsel Mahendra Nath Pandey.
Admitting the petition, the Varanasi district court judge AK Vishvesha asked the Gyanvapi mosque management committee to file its objection to the plea by May 19.
AIM was given a copy of the fresh petitions. The court posted the matter for May 22. During the hearing, Jain said that all the believers of Hindu Sanatan Dharm wanted to know that the truth related to ‘Adi Vishweshwara’ (Lord Shiva) should come out.
The petitioners represented by Vishnu Shankar Jain included Ram Prasad Singh, Mahant Shiv Prasad Pandey, Lakshmi Devi, Sita Sahu, Manju Vyas, and Rekha Pathak.
On Friday, May 12, the Allahabad High Court had ordered a determination of the age of the structure claimed to be a Shivling found in the pond of the ‘Wuzu Khana’ (ablution centre) on the Gyanvapi mosque premises using modern technology.
The High Court had set aside the October 14, 2022 order of the Varanasi District Court which had rejected the plea for scientific investigation, including carbon dating, of the purported 'shivling' found on May 16, 2022, during a court-mandated survey of the Gyanvapi mosque premises.
The High Court had directed the Varanasi district judge to proceed, in accordance with the law, on the application by the Hindu worshippers for conducting a scientific probe of the purported 'shivling', paving the way for determining the age of the structure.
