The Supreme Court on Friday sought response from the Gyanvapi Masjid Committee in Varanasi on a plea filed by the Hindu side seeking an ASI study of the certain area of the mosque where a “Shivling” was allegedly found in May, 2022.
A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan issued notice to the committee of administration Anjuman Intezamia Masjid and sought its response within two weeks on a plea filed by the Hindu side.
During the court-ordered study of the Gyanvapi complex on May 16, 2022, a structure found in the wazukhana (bathing lake) area was claimed to be a “Shivling” by the Hindu side while the Muslim side claimed it to be a “fountain”.
Senior advocate Shyam Divan, speaking for the Hindu side, along with advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain, said they have filed an application to consolidate all the litigation and transfer it from the Varanasi local court to the Allahabad High Court.
Senior advocate Huzefa Ahmadi, appearing for the masjid management committee, objected to the plea filed by the masjid committee, which addressed the practicality of prosecutions prohibited under the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991, being heard on an urgent basis.