Gyanvapi Issue: Allahabad High Court Asks Masjid Committee To Reply On Plea Demanding ASI Survey Of ‘Wazukhana’

The court issued an order based on a revision petition by Rakhi Singh, a plaintiff in the Shringar Gauri Worship suit.

Prayagraj: The Gyanvapi Masjid committee was granted a month by the Allahabad High Court on Tuesday to file a counter affidavit on a plea challenging a Varanasi court order that refused to direct the ASI to survey the mosque’s ‘wazukhana’.

The next hearing will be conducted on August 14.

The court issued an order based on a revision petition by Rakhi Singh, a plaintiff in the Shringar Gauri Worship suit. In her petition, she argued that surveying the ‘wazukhana’ area is essential for justice. This survey would serve the interests of both plaintiffs and defendants, aiding the court in reaching a fair verdict in the case.

Rakhi Singh’s petition argued that the Varanasi district judge did not utilize the legal jurisdiction to order a survey of the ‘wazukhana’ area, where devotees perform ablutions before offering prayers, as per the October 21, 2023, ruling.

The submission further stated that the district judge’s court erred by claiming it had intentionally omitted the legally protected area from the survey’s scope, as the application contained no such request.

In court, Saurabh Tiwari, alongside Amitabh Trivedi, contended that conducting the Archeological Survey of India (ASI)’s survey of the ‘wazukhana’ area is crucial to ascertain the religious nature of the entire property.

It has been contended that the ‘wazukhana’ area, barring the structure referred to as ‘Shivling’ by Hindus, can be surveyed using non-invasive techniques as per the Supreme Court’s directive.

Justice Rohit Ranjan Agarwal of the Allahabad High Court issued an order allowing the Intezamia Committee of the Gyanvapi Mosque a month’s time to submit a counter-affidavit regarding the civil revision petition that challenges the order of the Varanasi district judge dated October 21, 2023.

The ASI had conducted a survey in accordance with the July 21, 2023 order of the Varanasi district judge to determine if the mosque was constructed over a pre-existing structure of a Hindu temple.

(With PTI inputs)