The Muslim side responded a day after the Hindu plaintiffs' attorney, Vishnu Shankar Jain, asserted, based on the ASI research, that there was proof the Gyanvapi mosque was constructed following the destruction of a Hindu temple in the seventeenth century.
Lucknow: The Muslim plaintiffs' attorney in the Kashi Vishwanath-Gyanvapi mosque case denied on Friday that the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), which carried out a scientific investigation of the controversial Gyanvapi mosque grounds in Varanasi and previously filed the survey report in the district court, had discovered evidence of a Hindu temple there.
Following a Varanasi court's judgement on Wednesday, attorney Ikhlaq Ahmed informed media in Varanasi that "broken idols" did not prove there was a Hindu temple within the Gyanvapi mosque complex. Ahmed was also given a certified copy of the ASI report.
"North Yard Gate was a building in the mosque where five tenants used to sculpt idols. The area was open before it was barricaded, and the idol debris used to be thrown there," the man stated.
He went on to say, "No idol that can be said to be of Lord Shiva has been found there."
Ahmed further asserted that there was no idol discovered in the mosque's western wall to support theories that the wall was a portion of a temple.
The attorney continued, "We will review the report and submit objections where we believe the report is inaccurate."
The Muslim side responded a day after the Hindu plaintiffs' attorney, Vishnu Shankar Jain, asserted, based on the ASI research, that there was proof the Gyanvapi mosque was constructed following the destruction of a Hindu temple in the seventeenth century.
According to Jain, the 800-page study from ASI mentions discovering old scriptures within the mosque premises in the languages of Telugu, Devanagari, and Kannada. The scriptures spoke of Rudra, Janardan, and Vishweshwar; they also said that the mosque was constructed using the pillars of the temple that was destroyed.
On Wednesday, the Varanasi court issued an order directing the delivery of hard certified copies of the ASI report to the opposing sides' attorneys. Copies of the ASI survey report were requested by the Muslim and Hindu parties, respectively.
Last month, ASI delivered the report to the court in two sealed covers. Ground-penetrating radar and other scientific tools were employed by ASI during the survey, which commenced on August 4, to determine what was underneath the Gyanvapi mosque grounds.
The group also examined the building's outside and interior walls, the cellar, and other areas outside of the "wuzukhana," which is where Muslims purify themselves before praying.
Following the Allahabad High Court's denial of a petition by Muslim plaintiffs seeking a stay of the Varanasi court's decision for an ASI scientific survey, the survey of the Gyanvapi mosque premises got underway.
The Kashi Vishwanath Temple premises have been a source of conflict between the two communities for several decades. However, following the highest court's favourable ruling in the Ram Temple case, there has been a fresh push by the saffron outfits to "take back" the temple.
The Hindu petitioners claimed that in the seventeenth century, the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb had destroyed a portion of the temple. The Muslim side argued that the mosque was there before Aurangzeb's reign and that it was also noted in the land records.
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