The Supreme Court on Friday deferred the “scientific survey”, including carbon dating, of an alleged “Shivling” said to have been found at the Gyanvapi mosque complex in Varanasi during a videographic survey last year.
A bench of Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and justices PS Narasimha and JB Pardiwala said that since the implications of the Allahabad High Court order that allowed carbon dating of the “Shivling” merit closer scrutiny, the implementation of the directions concerned in the order shall stand deferred till the next date, reported ANI.
The Anjuman Islamia Masjid Commitee, which manages the Gyanvapi mosque in Varanasi, had moved the Supreme Court against the Allahabad High Court’s order last week for a scientific survey of a structure inside the mosque, which the Hindu petitioners claim is a “Shivling”.
Senior advocate Huzefa Ahmadi had mentioned the matter before Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud for urgent listing.
Setting aside a lower court order, the Allahabad High Court had on May 12 directed the Archeological Survey of India (ASI) to conduct a scientific survey of the purported “Shivling” inside the mosque found last year to ascertain its age.
During the survey, the Hindu side claimed that the it was a “Shivling”, while the Muslim side called it a “fountain”, which was found in the premises on May 16 last year.
The court order allowed a revision plea moved by four Hindu women who had challenged the Varanasi Court’s October 14 order, where the court rejected their plea.