Prayagraj, 12 May: In a crucial ruling on the Kashi Vishwanath-Gyanvapi mosque debate, the Allahabad High Court issued an order on Friday to conduct a scientific examination of a purported Shivling discovered in the mosque grounds. The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has been asked by the high court to conduct a scientific survey.
The court ordered that a scientific survey be conducted without causing any harm to the object. The high court overturned the District Judge of Varanasi’s order, which had denied the Hindu side’s petition for carbon dating of the Shivling.
Hearing the matter, a single-judge bench led by Justice Arvind Kumar Mishra stated that the ASI would conduct a scientific assessment and determine the age of the supposed Shivling seized from the mosque.
The ASI must determine whether it is Shivling or something else. The high court issued its ruling on the petition filed for the scientific survey of the supposed Shivling using carbon dating.
The petition was filed on behalf of the Hindu women who were contesting the District Judge of Varanasi’s ruling. The Archaeological Survey of India handed its findings in a sealed cover yesterday. The Shivling was retrieved from the mosque’s washing area in May of last year, during the sessions of the judicial commission. However, the Muslim side maintains it is a fountain.
