Varanasi, May 16 :A district court on Tuesday asked the Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee to file its objections on an application seeking scientific survey of the entire Gyanvapi complex by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).
Vishnu Shankar Jain, the counsel of the Hindu side, said that the application was moved in the court of the District Judge Dr Ajay Krishna Vishvesha which has asked the Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee to file its objection by May 19 after which hearing will be done on May 22.
Jain said, “We have initially prayed for the scientific investigation of the entire Gyanvapi complex through Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) survey and dating. We have also prayed for excavation if anything is found in the GPR survey,” he said.
It may be noted that on May 12 the Allahabad High Court admitted a petition seeking direction for carbon dating and scientific examination of a Shivling-like structure found during survey of Gyanvapi-Kashi Vishwanath Corridor and directed the ASI to complete the process without harming the structure
The order was passed by the bench of Justice Arvind Kumar Mishra-I on a petition filed by Laxmi Singh and others. The court had directed the ASI counsels to appear before the Varanasi district court on May 22 after which it will issue further orders on how the scientific survey has to be done.
On behalf of the Uttar Pradesh government, Additional Advocate General (AAG) MC Chaturvedi argued. The court had asked the counsel of the Union government whether the carbon dating of the Shivling-like structure could be done without causing damage as it will ascertain the age of the structure.
The ASI had submitted that the carbon dating could be done without causing damage to the Shivling.
It may be mentioned that a plaint demanding ASI survey of the Shivlinga-like structure found during the proceedings of the advocate commissioner inside Gyanvapi complex was moved on May 16, 2022.
The plaint was rejected by a subordinate court stating that the matter was pending in the Supreme Court. Later, on October 14, 2022 the District Judge rejected the plea on the ground that the scientific investigation may cause damage to the structure.(UNI)