The Allahabad High Court said on Thursday that it will deliver the judgement on the scientific survey of the Gyanvapi Mosque on August 3. The plea had been filed by the Muslim side after a Varanasi court allowed the ASI to conduct the survey, excluding the sealed area, and file a report by August 4.
During the hearing, the ASI assured the bench that the survey would be completed by August 4 without causing any damage to the Gyanvapi premises. The Chief Justice of Allahabad High Court Justice Pritinker Diwaker inquired about the history of the temple, and the Hindu side explained that the new temple was constructed by Ahilyabai Holkar after Aurangzeb had demolished the old temple and built a mosque.
The Muslim side argued that the petition by the Hindu side for the survey was premature, and they should gather all the evidence before such a survey is ordered. They also expressed their concern over facing numerous suits in Varanasi related to the Gyanvapi Mosque.
Responding to the Muslim side’s concerns, the Chief Justice asked if there was any direction for further progress of the suit, to which the Muslim side responded that there was no specific direction yet.
One of the lawyers representing the Hindu side argued that the ASI survey was necessary because Anjuman e Intezamia Masjid committee claimed that the disputed structure was a product of imagination and had no connection to ground reality. They stated that the mosque had been exclusively under the possession of Muslims since its inception.
Overall, the court hearing revolved around the ASI survey of the Gyanvapi Mosque, with the Muslim side expressing dissatisfaction and the Hindu side defending the necessity of the survey based on historical claims and disputes surrounding the site.
Four Hindu women petitioners requested permission for an application, and the District and Sessions Judge, Ajaya Krishna Vishvesha, granted their request. In his order, he directed the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to perform a Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) survey just below the three domes of a specific building. Additionally, the ASI was instructed to conduct excavation if necessary.
However, the wuzukhana area was excluded from the survey. This area had been sealed by the orders of the Supreme Court last year after Hindu litigants claimed that a Shivling (a sacred symbol of Lord Shiva) was present there. In contrast, Muslim litigants argued that the object was, in fact, a fountain.
The Supreme Court received a challenge to the district court’s order. As a result, a bench led by Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud decided to put the district court’s order on hold until July 26. This was to allow the mosque committee time to approach the High Court and appeal against the district court’s order. After two consecutive days of hearing, Allahabad High Court reserved its order on Thursday and said that it will pronounce the same on August 3.
