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Varanasi, Oct 24 (IANS) The Varanasi district court is likely to deliver an important verdict on Friday regarding the Gyanvapi site, where a Shivalinga was reportedly found during a survey by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). The hearing is expected to decide whether the damaged sealing fabric covering the disputed area should be replaced.
On the orders of the court, the concerned area was sealed after the Shivalinga was found during the survey. Earlier, the court had directed that the fish found in the sealed portion be shifted to the Vazukhana (bathing pond). However, the sealing cloth is now completely damaged, so the court will decide whether to re-seal the area with new cloth to maintain safety and prevent further disputes.
Speaking to IANS, lawyer Subhash Nandan Chaturvedi, representing the Hindu side, said, “The Gyanvapi case is case number 18/22, in which, under the orders of the District and Civil Court, an ASI survey was conducted. During the survey, a Shivalinga was found inside the Vazukhana. Since the case was extremely sensitive and had reached the courts from the district level to the Supreme Court, the area was sealed under paramilitary security. Under.”
“The ceiling cloth has now deteriorated due to time. We have requested the district court to replace it to avoid any allegations or counter-allegations. The court is expected to give its verdict today on whether the cloth will be replaced or not,” he said.
The Gyanvapi controversy has been going on for many years. On September 12, 2022, the Varanasi District Court rejected the objections against the petition filed by five Hindu women seeking permission to offer daily prayers to Hindu deities within the disputed mosque premises.
The order allowed hearings questioning the religious identity of the site to continue, effectively reopening the discussion around the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991 – a law intended to preserve the religious character of places of worship as they existed on August 15, 1947.
The matter came to light in August 2021, when five Hindu women filed a petition in the Varanasi Civil Court seeking permission to worship the idols allegedly located inside the Gyanvapi Mosque. Following the petition, an inquiry commission conducted a video survey of the mosque premises, during which the Hindu petitioners claimed that a Shivalinga was found inside the Vazukhana, a pond used by Muslims for bathing before prayers.
–IANS
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