Justice Rohit Ranjan Agarwal passed the order during a hearing of a civil revision filed by Rakhi Singh, one of the plaintiffs. The revision challenges the Varanasi district judge’s order from October 21, 2023, which denied a request to direct the ASI to survey the Wazukhana.
![[Gyanvapi’s Wazukhana Row] Allahabad HC Hearing on Plea Challenging Rejection of ASI Survey Adjourned Till Nov 8](https://i0.wp.com/lawchakra.in/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/img-2-1.png?resize=800%2C344&ssl=1)
Allahabad, Prayagraj: The Allahabad High Court on Tuesday(23rd Oct) postponed the hearing of a petition challenging the Varanasi judge’s October 2023 decision, which declined to direct the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to survey the Wazukhana (ablution area) inside the Gyanvapi mosque, situated near the Kashi Vishwanath temple.
The matter is now scheduled for hearing on November 8. The petition seeks a survey of the Wazukhana, excluding the structure that the Hindu side identifies as a Shivling and the Muslim side refers to as a fountain.
Justice Rohit Ranjan Agarwal passed the order during a hearing of a civil revision filed by Rakhi Singh, one of the plaintiffs. The revision challenges the Varanasi district judge’s order from October 21, 2023, which denied a request to direct the ASI to survey the Wazukhana.
Rakhi Singh, who is also a plaintiff in the Sringar Gauri worship suit pending in the Varanasi court, argued that a survey of the Wazukhana is essential for justice and would benefit both sides. She emphasized that non-invasive methods, as advised by the Supreme Court, could be employed to survey the area without disturbing the disputed Shivling structure.
At an earlier stage, the Anjuman Intezamia Committee of the Gyanvapi mosque had submitted a counter-affidavit to the High Court, asserting that the issues related to the Wazukhana and the Shiva Linga were already under consideration by the Supreme Court, with a stay order in effect. In light of this, the Varanasi district judge was justified in rejecting the Hindu side’s request on October 21, 2023, for an ASI survey of the Wazukhana, as the matter fell within the scope of the apex court’s interim orders arising from the same case, the affidavit, filed by advocate SFA Naqvi, argued.
It is noteworthy that the ASI has already conducted a scientific survey of the Gyanvapi complex and submitted its report to the Varanasi district judge. The survey was carried out following the district judge’s earlier directive to determine whether the mosque was built over a pre-existing Hindu temple structure.
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