A Varanasi court set February 15 for the hearing of a plea filed by the Archaeological study of India (ASI) to conduct a study of all closed basements in the Gyanvapi mosque complex.
In accordance to the petition, there exist “secret cellars” beneath the basements that must be surveyed to uncover the full truth about the Gyanvapi mosque, which Hindus allege was built on the remnants of a pre-existing temple.
Application submitted by the counsel
Rakhi Singh (via Advocate Saurabh Tiwary), plaintiff no. 1 in the Shringar Gauri Worshipping action 2022 (now proceeding before the Varanasi Court), submitted the application under Section 75 (e) and Order 26 Rule 10A r/w Section 151 of the CPC.
According to the ASI’s recent report (on the Scientific Survey of the Gyanvapi Mosque), Singh claims that because the four entrances on the western wall of N2 that lead to N1 are all blocked, nothing is known about its dimensions or inner arrangement; however, the entrances measure approximately 1.75m in length and 1.11m in width.
Singh contended in her appeal that a survey of the remaining cellars is required to determine the religious nature of the property in dispute (the Gyanvapi premises). According to the application, vaults N1 to N5 (in the north) and S1 to S3 (in the south) exist on the Gyanvapi grounds, although cellars N1 and S1 are entirely inaccessible due to closed entrances.
The application, filed in Varanasi’s district court, states numerous significant concerns. First, it demands that the ASI conduct assessments of the remaining vaults whose entrances are sealed. It also asks the ASI to perform assessments of vaults that were not included in the last Gyanvapi precinct study. The request underlines that any survey undertaken should not cause structural harm.
Progress in the Gyanvapi case
Following an earlier appeal by five female devotees, the court directed the ASI to perform a study of the Gyanvapi mosque complex, excluding the wazukhana used for ceremonial ablutions prior to namaz. The southern basement of the Gyanvapi mosque was opened last week, when a priest led prayers.
The court approved regular prayers in the cellar in response to a plea by Shailendra Kumar Pathak, who stated that his maternal grandfather, priest Somnath Vyas, used to worship there until December 1993.
According to Pathak’s attorney, the priest’s access to the cellar was restricted during Mulayam Singh Yadav’s tenure as Uttar Pradesh chief minister.
The prayers in the cellar are led by a priest appointed by the Kashi Vishwanath temple trust.