The Allahabad High Court on Wednesday deferred the hearing regarding a plea seeking a scientific survey of the ‘wazu khana’ (ablution area) within the Gyanvapi mosque premises. Justice Rohit Ranjan Agarwal has scheduled the next hearing for May 14, 2024.
The matter reached the High Court through a civil revision petition filed by Rakhi Singh, one of the primary plaintiffs in the Shringar Gauri worship suit. Singh is challenging a previous decision by the Varanasi District Judge, which had declined the request for a technical examination of the area by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).
The petition specifically requests an ASI survey of the entire ‘wazu khana’ area, with a notable exception: the structure located at the center of the reservoir. This specific structure remains a point of intense legal and religious contention, with the Hindu side describing it as a ‘Shivlinga’ and the Muslim side maintaining it is a functional ‘fountain.’
The revision petition seeks to overturn the Varanasi District Court’s order dated October 21, 2023. In that ruling, the district judge had refused to direct the ASI to undertake the survey of the ablution area, prompting the plaintiff to seek relief from the High Court.
Rakhi Singh, along with other plaintiffs, originally filed the Shringar Gauri suit seeking the right to worship at the site. While the ASI has previously conducted a comprehensive survey of other parts of the mosque complex, the ‘wazu khana’ was excluded from those proceedings due to separate legal protections and ongoing disputes regarding the nature of the structure found therein.
The High Court’s upcoming session on May 14 is expected to further examine whether a non-invasive survey of the surrounding ablution area can be permitted without disturbing the protected structure at its center.
