A Varanasi fast-track court will deliver its verdict today on the plea seeking worship rights of the โShivlingโ that the Hindu side claimed to be found on the Gyanvapi mosque premises.
Varanasi: A Varanasi fast-track court will deliver its verdict today on the plea seeking worship rights of the โShivlingโ that the Hindu side claimed to be found on the Gyanvapi mosque premises.
The court had adjourned the matter for November 14 during the last hearing on November 8. The demands of the Hindu side on which the court will deliver its verdict include permission for the immediate beginning of prayer of Swayambhu Jyotirlinga Bhagwan Vishweshwar, the handing over of the entire Gyanvapi complex to the Hindus, and banning the entry of Muslims inside the premises of the Gyanvapi complex.
The Muslim side is allowed to offer prayers in the premises till the matter is in court.
The Supreme Court on November 11 extended its earlier order to protect the area where the โShivlingโ was stated to be discovered at the Gyanvapi Mosque complex during the court survey.
During the previous hearings in the Varanasi court, it had refused to allow a โscientific investigationโ of the purported โShivlingโ.
The Hindu side had demanded carbon dating of the structure they claimed to be a Shivling found inside the Gyanvapi Mosqueโs wazukhana.
However, the Muslim side said that the structure found was a โfountainโ. The Hindu side had then submitted an application in the Varanasi District Court on September 22 that sought a carbon dating of the object they claimed to be โShivlingโ.
The Hindu side said that they would approach the Supreme Court against the Varanasi courtโs verdict refusing to allow a โscientific investigationโ of the purported โShivlingโ, claiming to be found on the Gyanvapi mosque premises.
On September 29 hearing, the Hindu side had demanded a scientific investigation of the โShivlingโ by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and the carbon dating of โArghaโ and the area around it.
The Varanasi court said, โIt would not be proper to order the survey of Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and by giving such order the age, nature, and structure of the said Shivling is known, even this does not imply the possibility of a just solutionโ.
Advocate Vishnu Jain, representing the side in the Gyanvapi case, โCourt has rejected our demand of seeking carbon dating. Weโll move to Supreme Court against this order and challenge it there. I cannot announce the date as of now, but weโll soon challenge this order in Supreme Court.โ
Another lawyer of the Hindu side Madan Mohan Yadav said, โThough the court has rejected the demand of seeking carbon dating, the option of going to the High Court is available and the Hindu side will place their point before the High Court as well.โ
Referring to the order of May 17 of the Supreme Court, the Varanasi Court had said that โIf the alleged Shivling is damaged by taking samples, then it will be in violation of the order of the Supreme Courtโ.
โIf the Shivling is damaged, the religious sentiments of the general public can also get hurtโ, the Varanasi Court had said.
Carbon dating is a scientific process that ascertains the age of an archaeological object or archaeological finds.
After hearing both sidesโ arguments, the court had reserved the order in the Gyanvapi Mosque-Shringar Gauri case.
On May 20, the Supreme Court had ordered the transfer of the case related to worship at Gyanvapi mosque from the civil judge to the District Judge, Varanasi.
Akhlaq Ahmed, representing the Muslim side had said that the plea by the Hindu side is not maintainable as it is against the order of the Supreme Court that stated protecting the structure (which the Muslim side claims to be a fountain and the Hindu side claims to be a Shivling).
โWe responded to the application on carbon dating. Stone does not have the capacity to absorb carbon. The Supreme Court in its May 17 order, according to which, the object that the commission found, had to be protected.
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The order of the SC will prevail, so the object cannot be opened. According to the Hindu side, the process will be scientific, even if it is so, there will be tampering with the object. Chemicals will be used for the test.
We will take action based on the order by the court on October 14,โ Ahmed had told Sources.
Another lawyer representing the Muslim side, Tohid Khan had said, โThe court will deliver its verdict on whether the application seeking carbon dating is acceptable or should be rejected. The structure is a fountain and not Shivling. The fountain can still be made operational.โ
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by HW News staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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