Today, the Supreme Court granted permission for the cleansing of the wuzukhana (water tank) located within the Gyanvapi mosque in Varanasi. This decision follows the discovery of a shivling during a commission survey conducted in May 2022.

The Chief Justice of India, DY Chandracuhd, along with Justice JB Pardiwala and Justice Manoj Misra, granted approval to an application filed by Hindu plaintiffs. The applicants are seeking the right to worship the deities within the premises of the Gyanvapi mosque in Varanasi.

Importantly, the application for the cleaning of the water tank was not contested by the Muslim management committee.

The plaintiffs requested the cleaning of the tank, citing the presence of deceased fish within it. Further, the Muslim Committee informed the bench that they had submitted a comparable application to the Varanasi District Collector.

While concluding the consideration of the plaintiffs' application, the bench directed that the cleaning process should be conducted under the oversight of the Varanasi District Collector. Senior Advocate Madhavi Divan represented the plaintiffs, while Senior Advocate Huzefa Ahmadi represented the mosque.

In May 2022, the Supreme Court issued an order to seal the 'wuzukhana' following the claim of the discovery of a 'Shivlinga' in that location. However, the Court explicitly mentioned that the order would not impede the right of Muslim devotees to carry out their religious practices. In the previous year, the Supreme Court granted permission for an Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) survey of the mosque premises.

This survey was initiated at the request of the plaintiffs to determine whether the mosque was constructed over a pre-existing temple.

Case Title: Committee of Management Anjuman Intezemia Masajid Varanasi v. Rakhi Singh and others

SLP(C) No. 9388/2022