Varanasi court rejects Hindu worshippers’ plea to conduct ‘scientific investigation’ of ‘Shivling’

Mangalore Today News Network

Varanasi, Oct 14, 2022: A district court in Varanasi Friday rejected the Hindu worshippers’ plea seeking ‘scientific investigation’ of ‘Shivling’ claimed to be found on the Gyanvapi mosque premises, the Live Law reported. The court rejected the plea in view of the Supreme Court’s May 17 order to protect the site where the ‘Shivling’ was reportedly found while conducting a survey in the mosque.

 

Arguments on the plea were completedon Tuesday and the court had reserved its verdict for today.

The Hindu petitioners, during a court-mandated videography survey of the mosque premises, had claimed that a “Shivling” was found close to the “wazookhana”, a small reservoir used by Muslim devotees to perform ritual ablutions before offering the namaz.

The claim was disputed by the Muslim side, which said the object was part of a “fountain”.

District court Judge A K Vishvesha rejected the plea after hearing the objections of Anjuman Intezamia Committee — a body that manages the mosque — to the Hindu worshippers’ petition, said Live Law.

Advocate Mumtaz Ahmed, who appeared for the Muslim side, said they told the court that carbon dating of the object cannot be done as if it gets damaged during the process, it would amount to the defiance of the order of the Supreme Court.

Earlier, the Muslim side had contended that the Supreme Court had asked the Varanasi district magistrate to keep the object safe. In such a situation, getting it examined cannot be justified, they had added. The Muslim also contended that the original case is about the worship of Shringar Gauri while the structure in the mosque has nothing to do with it.

On September 12 this year, the district court had dismissed the Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee’s challenge to the civil suits, saying that Hindu groups are not barred by the Places of Worship Act and the suits seeking the right to worship inside the Gyanvapi mosque are maintainable.

 

Courtesy: Indian Express