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Debjit Mukherjee: A Varanasi district court on Friday rejected the plea seeking carbon dating and scientific investigation of the purported `Shivling` claimed to be found in the Gyanvapi mosque complex. Varanasi District Court Judge Ajaya Krishna Vishvesha rejected the plea by the Hindu petitioners citing the Supreme Court’s May 17 order, which directed that the object found by the commission had to be protected so that no tampering can be done. The order of the SC will prevail, so the object cannot be opened. The Hindu side had claimed that a ‘Shivling’ was found in the premises near the ‘wazukhana’ during the videography survey of the mosque premises, which was ordered by the court. However, the Muslim side said that the structure found was a ‘fountain’.
Hindu Petitioners have said that they will move to the Supreme Court against the district court’s verdict. “I cannot announce the date as of now, but we`ll soon challenge this order in Supreme Court”, said Advocate Vishnu Jain, representing the Hindu side in the Gyanvapi case.
Four of the five Hindu petitioners in the Gyanvapi Mosque case had filed a petition seeking carbon dating of a structure inside the Gyanvapi Mosque said to be a Shivling. It was found during the court-ordered videography survey. Carbon dating is a scientific process used commonly in archaeology to understand the age of an object.
The Varanasi court had heard the arguments of the Muslim side earlier in connection with the case. The Gyanvapi Mosque committee has opposed the plea for carbon dating.
