Varanasi Court to address Hindu plea for ASI survey of Gyanvapi Mosque basements, seeking insights into hidden historical and religious significance.
The Gyanvapi Mosque in Varanasi, the District Court has set February 15 as the date for deliberation on a plea filed by the Anjuman Intezamia Masjid committee. This committee, tasked with the maintenance of the mosque, is seeking a judicial order to suspend worship activities specifically in the mosque’s cellar.
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The Varanasi Court’s decision to postpone the hearing was influenced by the anticipation of a related hearing at the Allahabad High Court, set for February 12. The Allahabad High Court is currently examining an appeal by the Muslim side, which challenges a previous order that permitted Hindu devotees to conduct puja in the southern cellar of the mosque.
Advocate MM Yadav, representing the Hindu side, conveyed to the news agency PTI,
“District Judge Anil Kumar said that since the matter is listed for hearing before the Allahabad High Court on February 12, there was no point hearing it in the district court now and fixed the matter for hearing on February 15.”
The legal contention centers around the District Court’s orders, which have significantly impacted the use of the Gyanvapi Mosque’s cellar. On January 17, the court appointed the Varanasi District Magistrate as the receiver of the cellar, known as “Vyas Ji ka tehkhana.”
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Subsequently, on January 31, it allowed Hindu worshippers to offer prayers before idols located in the mosque’s southern cellar. This decision was in response to a plea by priest Shailendra Kumar Pathak, who argued for the restoration of Hindu worship in the cellar, citing historical precedence until 1993 when the Uttar Pradesh Government halted the practice.
The District Court is also set to hear a plea from the Hindu side on February 15, requesting the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to conduct a survey of all closed basements within the Gyanvapi Mosque complex. Rakhi Singh, a plaintiff in the main Shringar Gauri suit, has argued for this survey, suggesting that secret cellars within the mosque’s basements, inaccessible during previous ASI surveys due to blocked entrances, could shed light on the site’s true historical and religious significance.
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Previously, the District Court had directed the ASI to undertake a scientific survey of the Gyanvapi Mosque complex, excluding the “wazukhana,” to investigate claims that the mosque was constructed over a pre-existing Hindu temple. This directive was issued while considering a plea from Hindu women worshippers, who assert the mosque’s historical foundation as a Hindu temple.
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