NEW DELHI: The SC on Friday stayed Allahbad HC order on scientific survey including ‘Carbon dating’ of the Shivling found in the complex of Gyanvapi mosque.
A bench of Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud and Justices PS Narasimha and JB Pardiwala said, “Since the implications of the impugned order merit closer scrutiny, the implementation of the directions concerned in the order shall stand deferred till the next date.”
The Allahabad High Court on May 12 ordered determination of the age of the structure claimed to be ‘Shivling’ using modern technology. It set aside an October 14 order of the Varanasi District Court that rejected a plea for scientific investigation, including carbon dating, of the structure found in May 2022 during a court-mandated survey of the Gyanvapi mosque located next to the Kashi Vishwanath temple.
However, the mosque authorities have said the structure is part of a fountain in the ‘wazu khana’, where ablutions are performed before namaz.
The ‘Shivling’ is a disputed structure that was found at the Gyanvapi mosque complex in Varanasi during a videographic survey in 2022.