The Allahabad High Court has deferred the hearing concerning the Archaeological Survey of India's (ASI) survey of the 'wuzukhana' area, excluding the 'Shiva Linga', within the Gyanvapi mosque to August 6, 2025. Justice Rohit Ranjan Agarwal adjourned the matter after being informed about a Supreme Court interim order restricting lower courts from passing orders directing surveys. The adjournment was made while acting on a revision plea filed by Rakhi Singh, one of the plaintiffs in a Varanasi court. Singh's plea challenges an October 2023 order by a Varanasi judge, which refused to direct the ASI to survey the 'wuzukhana' area, except for the structure claimed to be a 'Shivling' by the Hindu side and a fountain by the Muslim side.
The Gyanvapi mosque, located in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, stands adjacent to the Kashi Vishwanath temple. The case dates back to August 2021, when five Hindu women sought permission from a Varanasi Civil Court to worship deities allegedly located inside the mosque. They also requested the prevention of any damage to these statues. The legal battle over the mosque's origins first emerged in 1991, with claims that the mosque was constructed on the site of a demolished portion of the Kashi Vishwanath temple by Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb in 1669.
In 1991, a petition was filed in Varanasi seeking the restoration of the Gyanvapi land to the Kashi Vishwanath temple, alleging that Aurangzeb ordered the destruction of a part of the temple in the 16th century to build the mosque. The Allahabad High Court had put a stop to proceedings in the Varanasi court in 2021, emphasizing the Places of Worship Act, 1991, which prevents changes to the religious character of a place of worship as of August 15, 1947.
In May 2022, a court-appointed commission conducted a videographic survey of the Kashi Vishwanath temple-Gyanvapi mosque complex and a structure was found, claimed by the Hindu side to be a "shivling" and by the Muslim side to be a "fountain". The 'wazukhana' area was sealed in 2022 following a Supreme Court directive.
The ASI conducted a survey of the Gyanvapi mosque premises to determine whether the mosque was built over a pre-existing Hindu temple. The survey was initiated in August 2023 after permission from the Allahabad High Court and the Supreme Court. The ASI submitted its report on the survey to the Varanasi district court in December 2023. The Hindu side has also filed a plea in the Supreme Court to unseal the 'wazukhana' area within the Gyanvapi complex, based on the ASI's survey results.
In January 2024, a Varanasi court allowed Hindus to conduct prayers inside the Gyanvapi mosque, with the district administration required to make necessary arrangements. The Supreme Court has maintained a status quo, allowing a Hindu priest to continue offering worship inside the cellar while Muslims use the mosque and courtyard for prayers. The court has clarified that the religious worship by Hindus should strictly adhere to the January 31, 2024 order and be subject to the safe custody of the Receiver as specified in the January 17, 2024 order.
