The Allahabad High Court on Monday adjourned to February 3 the hearing of a plea seeking a scientific survey of the wazu khana (ablution area) in the Gyanvapi mosque complex, noting that the matter is currently pending before the Supreme Court.
Justice Rohit Ranjan Agarwal passed the order while hearing a civil revision petition filed by Rakhi Singh, one of the plaintiffs in the ongoing Shringar Gauri worshipping suit. Singh has challenged an October 21, 2023 order of the Varanasi District Judge which had refused to allow the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to conduct a scientific survey of the wazu khana area of the Gyanvapi premises.
The disputed area includes a structure which the Hindu side identifies as a Shivling, whereas the Muslim side contends it is a fountain. Singh’s petition urged the court to permit a scientific study of the entire ablution area—excluding the disputed structure—in order to aid a fair resolution of the suit.
Singh argued that a scientific survey would serve the interests of both plaintiffs and defendants, helping the court arrive at an informed decision in the broader title and worship rights dispute over the Gyanvapi site.
During the hearing, the counsels for both parties informed the High Court that a related matter is pending before the Supreme Court, which has listed it for January 27. In view of this, the High Court deferred the proceedings to February 3.
The Gyanvapi dispute centres on claims by a group of Hindu devotees seeking the right to worship at the Shringar Gauri shrine located within the Gyanvapi mosque complex in Varanasi. The site has been the subject of escalating legal and political attention, particularly after a court-ordered video survey in 2022 led to claims of the discovery of a Shivling in the wazu khana area.
The Supreme Court is currently seized of issues related to the maintainability and scope of suits filed in the matter, as well as the admissibility of various surveys and evidence.
The High Court’s decision to await the top court’s next hearing underscores the layered judicial proceedings across multiple forums in the sensitive Gyanvapi dispute.
