The Allahabad High Court in its order on Friday allowed the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to continue its scientific survey of the Gyanvapi Mosque in Varanasi.
Dismissing the plea of the Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee (mosque management committee) challenging the survey, the High Court in its verdict said “the ASI survey is necessary in the interest of justice and it needs to be carried out under certain conditions”.
The High Court reserved its order on 27 July until 3 August, and Chief Justice Pritinker Diwaker said that the survey would not take place until the court order is out.
However, the court has asked the ASI to ensure that there is no damage to the structure.
The agency responsible for archaeological research and the conservation and preservation of cultural historical monuments in the country has assured that it has the technical capabilities to do the survey without causing structural damage or carrying out any excavation.
While talking to the media after the court’s verdict, advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain, representing the Hindu side in the case, said: “Allahabad High Court has said that ASI survey of Gyanvapi mosque complex will start. Sessions court order is upheld by the High Court”.
Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh deputy state chief Keshav Prasad Maurya, welcoming the High Court’s verdict, said: “I am confident that the truth will come out after the ASI survey and the Gyanvapi issue will be resolved”.
On the other hand, reacting to the High Court verdict, Muslim leader Khalid Rasheed Firangi Mahali said the Muslim side has the option to approach the Supreme Court.
ASI Survey Challenged by Mosque Management Committee
As reported by Sputnik India, the mosque management committee challenged the ASI survey on 24 July in the Supreme Court, saying that it may lead to an excavation at the historic mosque and the structure being damaged.
The committee also stated that any such survey is in violation of existing laws around religious places.
Responding to the petition of the mosque management committee, the Supreme Court put the survey on hold for two days and asked the committee to challenge it in the Allahabad High Court.
The ASI was conducting the survey following the 21 July orders of the Varanasi district court.
The Varanasi court had asked the ASI to conduct a detailed scientific survey including excavations, wherever necessary, to determine if the mosque was built at a site where a temple had existed earlier.
The court ordered the survey after hearing the petition filed by four women seeking permission to worship deities in the mosque complex.
The petitioners claimed that the survey was the only way to determine whether the landmark mosque was built after the razing of a Hindu temple.
New Petition to Protect Hindu Symbols
After the verdict on the survey, Rakhi Singh, one of the petitioners in the Gyanvapi case, filed a fresh petition in the Allahabad High Court seeking protection of “Hindu signs and symbols” in the mosque complex in Varanasi.
In her petition, Singh stated that until the verdict of the Varanasi court has been delivered in the Shringar Gauri case, non-Hindus should be prohibited from entering the premises, and orders should be given to protect Hindu symbols found within the Gyanvapi premises.
The matter has been scheduled for hearing on 7 August.
Reacting to the fresh plea, secretary of the Intezamia Masjid Committee Mohammad Yasin said that they have not yet received a copy of the new petition, but once the copy has been received, the legal team will prepare its reply.
Row Over Gyanvapi Mosque
The row over the Gyanvapi Mosque came to the light last year, when four Hindu women filed a plea in the Varanasi district court seeking permission to worship at the mosque premises, claiming that it was built over a razed temple.
The court then ordered a video survey of the mosque. During the survey, an object was discovered that was claimed to be a “shivling” (a phallic symbol of Lord Shiva) by some people.
However, the mosque management committee denied the claims and said the object was part of a fountain in the Wuzukhana (a small reservoir for Muslim devotees to perform ritual ablutions).
The mosque management committee then moved the Supreme Court, seeking an indefinite stay on the survey. However, the top court denied the indefinite stay and also ordered that the area should be sealed.
It also transferred the matter to the Varanasi district court, which on 21 July ordered a scientific survey.