Yesterday, the Varanasi court agreed to hear a plea for a survey by the Archeological Survey of India (ASI) of the entire Gyanvapi mosque premises located next to the Kashi Vishwanath temple.

The bench headed by session judge, Justice A K Vishvesh asked the Gyanvapi mosque committee to file its reply to the plea by May 19.

The petition was filed by Advocate Vishnu Shankar, who represents the Hindu side, District Court Judge.

The Allahabad High Court on Friday ordered a determination of the age of the structure claimed to be a shivling in the Gyanvapi mosque in Varanasi 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.

The high court directed the Varanasi district judge to proceed, in accordance with the law, on the application by the Hindu worshippers for conducting a scientific probe of the ‘shivling’, paving the way for determining the age of the structure.