Gyanvapi: SC permits cleaning of water tank in mosque complex in Varanasi

The Supreme Court ordered the cleaning of the water tank under the supervision of the Varanasi district magistrate

The Supreme Court (SC) on Tuesday allowed a plea moved by Hindu women plaintiffs for cleaning the water tank in the Gyanvapi mosque in Varanasi, which is located in an area that has been sealed.

A bench of Chief Justice of India (CJI) D Y Chandrachud and Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra directed that the water tank be cleaned under the supervision of the Varanasi district magistrate.

The direction came after Additional Solicitor General Madhavi Divan, appearing in court on behalf of the Uttar Pradesh government, sought permission for the cleaning of the tank, saying there were dead fish in it.

The apex court also noted in its order that the Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee had filed a similar plea, the management body of the mosque, before a trial court in Varanasi.

The Varanasi district court had, on July 21 last year, directed the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to conduct a "detailed scientific survey" — including excavations, wherever necessary — to ascertain whether the mosque next to the Kashi Vishwanath temple was built upon a temple.

The mosque's "wazukhana" (a small reservoir where devotees perform ritual ablutions), where a structure claimed by the Hindu litigants to be a "Shivling" exists, will not be part of the survey, following an earlier Supreme Court order protecting that spot in the mosque complex.

Hindu activists claim that a temple existed earlier at the site, and it was demolished in the 17th century on the orders of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb.

A videographic survey of the Gyanvapi complex, located next to the Kashi Vishwanath temple, was conducted last year, and it revealed what the Hindu side claimed was a 'Shivling' inside the mosque premises. The Muslim side, on the other hand, has argued that the building is only a fountain.

The 'Wazu' area of the Gyanvapi mosque is the centre of the Gyanvapi mosque-Kashi Vishwanath temple dispute between Hindus and Muslim parties in the case since the Hindu parties claim that 'Shivling' has been found in that spot, however, the Muslim side disputed the same and said that it is only a water fountain.