Advocate Jain said he argued that the Kashi Vishwanath Temple-Gyanvapi Mosque dispute can be resolved only by an archaeological investigation of the entire mosque complex. – Akhil Kumar
The Varanasi District Court today allowed a “scientific survey” of the entire Gyanvapi Mosque premises by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), except the barricaded “wazukhana” where a structure claimed by Hindu litigants to be a “shivling” exists, allowing a petition by four women worshippers who want to find out as to whether the mosque had been constructed over a pre-existing structure of a Hindu temple. The court asked the ASI to submit its scientific report by August 4.
The order is likely to be challenged in higher courts. The Supreme Court last year directed the sealing of the “wazukhana” area.
“I have been informed that my application has been approved and the court has directed to conduct an ASI survey of the Gyanvapi Mosque complex, excluding the Wazu tank which has been sealed,” Vishnu Shankar Jain, representing the petitioners in the case, said, according to news agency ANI.
The application was moved in May this year by four women worshippers, who claimed the Gyanvapi Mosque, located next to the Kashi Vishwanath Temple, had signs of an ancient Hindu temple. The application stated that a swayambhu jyotirlinga existed at the site for lakhs of years, however, the same was destroyed/damaged several times by “Muslim Invaders who had hatred against infidels and idol worshippers beginning with the attack of Mahmud Ghazni in 1017 AD”.
The application further states that “one of the most fanatic and cruel Mughal Emperors, Aurangzeb” issued a firman (decree) in 1669 to demolish the temple of Lord Adivisheshwar at the site in question and in pursuance of his command, his subordinates carried out the order by demolishing the aforesaid temple.
Mr Jain earlier said he argued that the Kashi Vishwanath Temple-Gyanvapi Mosque dispute can be resolved only by an archaeological investigation of the entire mosque complex.
The mosque committee had opposed the plea, saying an ASI survey could damage the complex.The Supreme Court had on May 19 deferred the “scientific survey”, including carbon dating, of a “Shivling” said to have been found at the Gyanvapi Mosque complex during a videographic survey last year.
Earlier this year, the mosque committee suffered a huge setback in one of the main cases involving the Gyanvapi Mosque, as the Allahabad High Court dismissed a plea that requested it to scrap a civil suit being heard in a local court.
The lawsuit filed by a group of Hindu women worshippers seeking the right to pray in the Gyanvapi Mosque complex in Varanasi was valid, the court ruled, allowing the case to continue in the Varanasi District Court. – NDTV, 21 July 2023
Filed under: india | Tagged: aurangzeb's firmans, gyanvapi mosque, kashi vishwanath temple, shiva linga, temple-breaking |
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Gyanvapi Mosque Row: Muslim side must fix ‘historic mistake’, says CM Yogi Adityanath – India Today Video Desk – Jul 31, 2023
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath spoke about the Gyanvapi mosque case and asked what a trishul (trident) was doing on the mosque premises. He said that the Muslim petitioners should come forward with a proposal to fix a “historical blunder”. The remarks came days after the Allahabad High Court reserved its verdict till August 3 on a plea against a district court order directing the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to conduct a survey to determine if the Gyanvapi mosque in Varanasi was built upon a temple. “If we call it a mosque, then it will be a dispute. … What is the trident doing there in the mosque? We did not keep it. There is a jyotirling and deities are there,” he said. “I think there should be a proposal from the Muslim side to fix the historical blunder. We want a solution to this mistake,” the Chief Minister added.
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Gyanvapi plea against survey in SC today – Firstpost – New Delhi – 24 July 2023
On Monday (July 24), the Supreme Court will hear a contempt plea brought by the Gyanvapi Mosque management committee against a Varanasi district court ruling requiring an Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) assessment of the mosque complex, which is close to Kashi Vishwanath temple.
On Friday, Varanasi district judge A.K. Vishvesha ordered an ASI study of the Gyanvapi complex on a suit filed by four Hindu women on May 16, 2023. The judgement, however, omitted the complex’s ablution pond area, which had been blocked on the apex court’s order.
Supreme Court stays Varanasi court order on Gyanvapi Mosque survey – Prisha – WION – New Delhi – July 24, 2023
India’s Supreme Court on Monday (July 24), while hearing the plea submitted by the Gyanvapi Masjid Committee over the scientific survey to be carried out by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) of the mosque in the northern city of Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh state, stayed Varanasi District Court’s order, putting the survey on hold till July 26.
The Supreme Court granted the Gyanvapi Mosque Management Committee time till July 26 to approach the Allahabad High Court against the court order of the Varanasi District Court and said that till that time the status quo be maintained at the site.
At the heart of the case is the contention by a group of Hindu petitioners that there is a shivling, a holy structure for the religion, in the mosque complex which they want to worship. The Muslim representatives argue that it is a fountain.
The management committee of the mosque had expressed its apprehensions that the survey may involve excavation at the complex which is located next to the iconic Kashi Vishwanath Temple at Varanasi.
SC recorded the submissions of solicitor general Tushar Mehta and stated that no excavations are being carried out by the ASI as per the District Court’s order and no excavation has been planned for a week.
‘Not a brick removed’
Informing the court about the current developments, solicitor general Tushar Mehta said, “Not a brick has been removed nor is it planned to be removed. Right now what is going on is measurement, photography, and radar, which will not affect the structure.”
Supreme Court informed advocate Huzefa Ahmadi, who was appearing from the side of the Gyanvapi Mosque Management Committee, that no excavation will be carried out for two weeks and that the ASI is not touching the structure currently and just carrying out the measurement and photography, which will not hamper the place of worship.
“It appears that ASI is not contemplating carrying out any excavation in pursuance of the order. We record the statement to the extent that no excavation at the site is contemplated at this stage for a period of one week until next week Monday,” said Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud, taking the submissions of the centre on record.
Speaking about Supreme Court’s order, advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain who was representing the Hindu side in the Gyanvapi mosque case, said, “Supreme Court has put a stay on the order of the District Court on survey of the mosque complex and has asked the Allahabad Court to decide matter afresh. We will keep our argument in at Allahabad HC. The Muslim side, Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee misled the SC and said that digging has started there, which is not true.”
Meanwhile, Varanasi DM said, “We will abide by the court order,” after Supreme Court ordered a stay on Gyanvapi Mosque complex’s ASI survey till 5 pm on 26th July.
ASI team reaches the mosque
The team of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) had reached the Gyanvapi Mosque complex to carry out the scientific survey earlier in the day.
The team of ASI had reached Varanasi on Sunday (July 23) along with all the required equipment. The Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee had said it will not participate in the survey.
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