Mosque authorities file objection in Varanasi court to plea seeking ASI survey of Gyanvapi complex

The Muslim side on Monday filed its objection before the Varanasi district court to a petition seeking a direction to the Archaeological Survey of India ASI to survey the entire Gyanvapi mosque complexThe Supreme Court had on May 19 deferred a scientific survey including carbon dating to determine the age of the structure claimed to be a Shivling found at the complex saying implications of the Allahabad High Court order on it merits closer scrutinyThe direction had come on the plea of the Anjuman Islamia Masjid Committee against the high courts May 12 order for the determination of the age of the structure using modern technology However the mosque authorities have maintained that the structure is part of a fountain in the wazu khana where ablutions are performed before namazAfter the high court order the district court had on May 16 agreed to hear a plea for a survey by the Archaeological Survey of India ASI of the entire Gyanvapi mosque premises located next to the Kashi Vishwanath templeOn Monday Rajesh Mishra special counsel for Gyanvapi and Adi Vishweshwar cases told PTI that the Masjid Committee filed its objection in the court of District Judge AK Vishwesh to the petitionMishra said that the court has fixed July 7 for the next hearingThe Masjid Committee its objection contended that a petition of the Uttar Pradesh Sunni Central Waqf Board and another petition against the April 8 2021 order of the Civil Judge Senior Division of Varanasi for a survey of the GyanvapiShangar Gauri complex by the ASI is pending in the High Court The court has reserved its decision on both petitionsIn such circumstances the question of conducting an ASI survey again on the same property and the same point does not arise it said while urging the court to dismiss the petitionThe report of the commission or the report given by the ASI after investigation cannot be called for the purpose of collecting evidence Actual facts relating to the building cannot be proved by oral evidenceAlso Read Gyanvapi mosque row SC defers scientific survey of ShivlingIn such a situation the application seeking an ASI report to collect evidence is against the law and is not legally sustainable the Committee also saidMishra said that the Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee was supposed to file its objection on May 19 but could not do so due to the hearing in the Supreme CourtAn apex court bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud had issued notices to the Centre the Uttar Pradesh government and the Hindu petitioners on the plea of the Masjid Committee against the May 12 high court orderSince the implications of the impugned order merit closer scrutiny the implementation of the directions concerned in the order shall stand deferred till the next date the bench also comprising justices P S Narasimha and K V Vishwanathan saidSolicitor General Tushar Mehta appearing for the Uttar Pradesh government expressed concerns regarding damage to the structure during the process and said the government will examine in consultation with the Archaeological Survey of India if there is an alternative method to ascertain the age of the Shivling found at GyanvapiThe high court had obtained a report from various institutions including the IITs in Kanpur and Roorkee and the Birbal Sahni Institute in Lucknow before ordering for determination of the age of the structureThe ASI in its 52page report had given the opinion that the age of the structure can be determined through scientific methods without causing any harm to itIn August 2021 a suit was filed in the Varanasi District Court seeking the right to regular worship of Maa Shringar Gauri and other deities whose idols the petitioners submitted are located in the mosques complexThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever