New Delhi
The Hindu plaintiffs involved in Varanasi’s Gyanvapi case have submitted an application to the Supreme Court, urging directions for the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to survey the ‘Shivling’ and the entire ‘wazukhana’ area of the mosque premises, which has been sealed since May 2022.
Previously, in October 2022, the Varanasi District Judge had rejected the Hindu side’s request for a scientific survey of the Shivlingam due to a Supreme Court order sealing the area. The recent application argues that without ASI’s survey of the sealed section, the purpose of the overall investigation would be defeated.
Advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain, representing the plaintiffs, emphasized Hindus’ right to worship and perform rituals at the Shivlingam, a sacred object for devotees of Lord Shiva. The application underscores the necessity of determining whether the object is indeed a Shivlingam or a fountain through a comprehensive ASI survey of the sealed area.
Meanwhile, the Muslim party contends that the object discovered in May 2022 is not a Shivlingam but a fountain. A recent report by the ASI identified evidence of a Hindu temple within the mosque complex, excluding the ‘wazukhana’.
The Supreme Court, responding to the Hindu plaintiffs’ concerns about the unhygienic conditions around the Shivlingam, instructed the district administration to oversee the cleaning of the sealed area. The application stressed the need to preserve the sanctity of the Shivlingam amidst concerns of pollution and odors emanating from dead fish in the vicinity.
The ongoing legal dispute revolves around the Hindu plaintiffs’ demand for unimpeded worship at the Maa Shringar Gauri Sthal, while the Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee maintains that the structure has always been a mosque, denying claims of it being built over a temple.
