The Court Asks Muslim Side to Reply on Shivling Carbon Dating Plea by Oct.11

Varanasi: A court in Uttar Pradesh’s Varanasi on Friday advised the Muslim side to file its reply by October 11, days after it conceded an application last month that looked for carbon dating of a structure tracked down inside the Gyanvapi mosque complex. The Hindu petitioners have claimed the structure to be “Shivling”.

“The court asked us to clarify two points – whether the design found inside the mosque is a piece of this suit property or not? Furthermore, might the court at any point issue a commission for scientific inquiry? We have presented our reply,” Advocate Vishnu Jain, addressing the Hindu side in the case, was cited as saying to the media. “We said that it is part of our suit property and under Order 26 Rule 10A of CPC (Civil Procedure Code), the court can coordinate the scientific investigation. The Muslim side has looked for some time to reply. Now, the matter will be heard on October 11,” he added.

The Varanasi district court had last month asked the Muslim side to file its objections after the admission of the supplication.

The Hindu side had said its plea looked for “permission for carbon dating of the Shivling-like structure found on the Gyanvapi mosque compound, walls and different designs on the masjid complex”.

Afterward, however, there appeared to be a division among the Hindu plaintiffs as one of them registered a protest. Rakhi Singh, one of the five ladies plaintiffs in the Shringar Gauri-Gyanvapi complex case, had said that doing “carbon dating of the Shivling is an anti-religion act and a mockery of the sentiments and convictions of all Sanatanis (Hindus)”.

Jitendra Singh Visen, head of Vishwa Vedic Sanatan Sangh, and Rakhi Singh representative of VVSS had said it could be considered as an act of sacrilege. “It is like putting a question mark on the existence of Shivling,” the VVSS chief said.

The Shringar Gauri-Gyanvapi complex case has been a delicate matter in which the original suit looked for the reclamation of the ancient Kashi Vishwanath Temple at the site where the Gyanvapi Mosque right now stands. In the suit, five ladies Hindu petitioners guaranteed that the mosque is a part of the temple.

In the meantime, on September 29, the Allahabad high court broadened an interim stay till October 31 on a Varanasi court order directing the Archeological Survey of India to lead a study of the Kashi Vishwanath temple-Gyanvapi mosque complex.