The Allahabad High Court deferred the hearing scheduled for Wednesday on a plea challenging a Varanasi court’s decision not to direct a survey of the Gyanvapi mosque’s ‘wazukhana’. The postponement came after the counsel for the Muslim side was unable to appear due to illness. Justice Rohit Ranjan Agarwal has rescheduled the hearing for August 22.
The plea, filed by Rakhi Singh, one of the plaintiffs in the Shringar Gauri worshipping suit, contests the October 21, 2023, order of the Varanasi district judge which declined to instruct the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to conduct a survey of the ‘wazukhana’ area, notably excluding the structure referred to as a ‘shivling’ by the Hindu side. Singh argues that the survey is crucial for achieving a just resolution in the ongoing religious dispute surrounding the Gyanvapi mosque, which is adjacent to the Kashi Vishwanath temple in Varanasi.
The legal contention centers on whether the mosque, a historically significant site, was built over a pre-existing Hindu temple. The ASI had previously conducted a scientific survey of the complex as per a July 21, 2023, court order and submitted its findings to the Varanasi district judge. This survey aimed to investigate the mosque’s foundations and determine any underlying pre-existing structures.
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In her plea, Singh asserts that the Varanasi district judge’s court failed to exercise its jurisdiction appropriately by not ordering a survey of the ‘wuzukhana’ area. She claims that this survey could be conducted using non-invasive techniques, as endorsed by the Supreme Court, to ensure that the religious sanctity and structural integrity of the site are maintained.
