On Friday, the Supreme Court of India issued a stay on the Allahabad High Court’s order of conducting a scientific survey of the Shivling, including its carbon dating, which was found inside the Gyanvapi ‘mosque complex’, Varanasi. The Supreme Court bench, comprising Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, Justice PS Narsimha, and Justice KV Viswanathan said, “The implementation of the High Court’s order shall stand deferred till the next hearing”.
“The implications of the Allahabad High Court order that allowed carbon dating of the Shivling merit closer scrutiny”, the bench added. Notices have been issued to the Centre, the Uttar Pradesh government, and the Hindu petitioners on the mosque panel’s plea against high court order of carbon dating and scientific survey.
This development has come after the Supreme Court heard the plea challenging the Allahabad High Court order which was supposed to pave a way for determining the age of the Shivling found inside the Gyanvapi ‘mosque complex’, with the help of modern methods of scientific survey, including the carbon dating of the same, without damaging the outer structure of the ‘mosque’.
The Allahabad High Court had ordered the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to conduct the carbon dating of the Shivling. Following this order, a local Varanasi court, on May 16th, had agreed to hear an appeal for a survey by the ASI of the entire ‘mosque complex’ premises.
