The Allahabad High Court on Friday postponed till August 6 the hearing on a plea seeking an Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) examination of the wuzukhana (ablution pond) area of the Gyanvapi mosque, excluding the structure that the Hindu side identifies as a Shiva Linga and the Muslim side describes as a fountain.
Justice Rohit Ranjan Agarwal adjourned the matter after being informed that the Supreme Court’s interim order barring all courts from issuing any effective or final orders — including those directing surveys — in the Gyanvapi matter remains in force.
The revision petition, filed by Rakhi Singh, one of the original plaintiffs in the Gyanvapi–Kashi Vishwanath dispute pending before a Varanasi court, challenges a lower court’s October 2023 decision. The Varanasi court had refused to direct the ASI to survey the entire wuzukhana area except the structure at its center, which remains a point of contention between the two communities.
The High Court’s deferral underscores the binding nature of the Supreme Court’s status quo directions and maintains judicial restraint pending further clarification from the apex court.
