Prayagraj. Today the Allahabad High Court will give its verdict on the ASI survey of Gyanvapi Mosque in Varanasi. Allahabad High Court Chief Justice Pritinkar Diwakar had reserved his decision on July 27 after hearing the arguments of the Hindu and Muslim parties. Both the parties gave their arguments for two days in the Allahabad High Court. First let us tell you what arguments were given by the Hindu side. The Hindu side had said in the Allahabad High Court that this is a matter more than 350 years old. According to Hindu side’s lawyer Vishnu Shankar Jain, ASI is not going to dig anywhere for the survey of Gyanvapi Masjid. He had said that the court has the right to conduct an inquiry through a commissioner in the interest of justice. The Hindu side also said that in the commissioner’s survey, besides the cone-shaped shikhara of the ancient temple under the dome, symbols of Om and Swastika were found on the walls. Along with this, Sanskrit verses, parts of idols etc. have also been found on the walls of Gyanvapi mosque. The Hindu side had applied to the district judge of Varanasi for permission to worship Mata Shringar Gauri here. On which ASI survey was ordered.
At the same time, the Muslim side says that the civil suit is not maintainable under the Places of Worship Act, 1991. Advocates for the Muslim side, SFA Naqvi and Puneet Gupta, told the Allahabad High Court that spades and shovels can be used during the survey by the ASI. This will threaten the structure of the Gyanvapi mosque. The Muslim side also says that the ASI survey should have been done only after evidence was given by both the sides. The Muslim side has argued that a mosque was not built here by demolishing any temple. The Hindu side says that there is a decree of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb and it is also told in the book Masiri-e-Alamgiri that in the year 1669, the ancient Adi Vishweshwar temple in Varanasi was demolished and the Gyanvapi mosque was built there. The Hindu side has also mentioned the west wall for this. He claims that by looking at this wall, it is clear that there was a temple, because bells and flowers etc. are made on the wall.
At the same time, in this case, ASI’s Additional Director General Alok Tripathi had told the court that ASI is not going to dig anywhere. He told that scientific survey of Gyanvapi Masjid will be done in collaboration with IIT Kanpur. Ground penetrating radar and other instruments will be used for this. If needed, only the brush will be run on the walls. Now everyone’s eyes are on whether Chief Justice Pritinkar Diwakar gives the green signal to the ASI survey of Gyanvapi Masjid or stops it.