Rakhi Singh, a petitioner from the Hindu side, filed a caveat petition in the Allahabad High Court following the Varanasi Court's direction to conduct a survey of the sealed area on the Gyanvapi mosque complex by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).
The caveat was filed through advocate Saurabh Tiwari via e-filing. Rakhi Singh, also the main petitioner in the Shringar Gauri Sthal case, supported the ASI survey at the Gyanvapi mosque complex.
In the caveat, Rakhi urged the Allahabad High Court not to pass any judgment without hearing the petitioner if the Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee challenges the Varanasi court's order from July 21.
It may be noted that the Apex Court’s July 24th order was passed by a bench comprising Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, Justice JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra while requesting the High Court Chief Justice to allow a hearing on Masjid’s plea before its interim order expires on July 26.
During the hearing, the 3-Judge bench also took note of a statement made on behalf of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) that it is not planning to carry out any excavation of the Gyanvapi site at least for a week, though the Varanasi District Court had allowed such excavation to determine if the 16th century mosque was built over a pre-existing temple.
Solicitor General of India Tushar Mehta informed the Court about the ASI's stance when the Gyanvapi Masjid Committee sought a stay of the Varanasi Court's order.
Last year, in May, the Supreme Court of India had deferred the "scientific survey", including carbon dating, of the "Shivling" that was said to have been found at the Gyanvapi mosque complex during a videographic survey conducted last year.
The top court's order had come days after Allahabad High Court directed the ASI to conduct a scientific survey of the structure that Hindu petitioners claimed is a "Shivling". The Gyanvapi mosque authorities had said the structure is a part of a fountain in the "wazukhana", where people perform ablutions before offering namaz.
In September last year, the Varanasi district judge had dismissed a challenge by the mosque committee that argued that the case by the women has no legal standing.
Website designed, developed and maintained by webexy