Gyanvapi mosque controversy: Why archaeological survey of the religious site was requested?
Ayodhya verdict by the Supreme Court. In response, lawyer Vijay Shankar Rastogi filed a petition in the lower court, seeking an archaeological survey of the site's legitimacy.
However, the mosque's management and Sunni Central Waqf Board opposed the survey. Taking into account the argument of the both side, in March 2021, the Supreme Court agreed to examine the validity of The Places of Worship Act. Five Hindu women filed a petition in August 2021 seeking permission to worship deities ((Shringar Gauri, Ganesha, Hanuman, and Nandi) within the mosque complex.
The court ordered videography of the temple and surrounding areas in April 2022. In May 2022, the survey began but faced interruptions, and the court ordered its completion.
Petitioners claimed to have found a Shivling in a pond, leading to the area's sealing. In July, Justice DY Chandrachud of the Supreme Court stated that the court would await the decision of the Varanasi District Judge on an application challenging a suit filed by five women seeking 'darshan' at Gyanvapi Mosque complex. If the court ruled for Anjuman Intejamia Masjid, the women's suit would naturally 'fall,' and if the ruling favored the plaintiff, caretakers could pursue other legal remedies. In August, the judge reserved his order until 12 September after arguments from both sides.
And the next month, he dismissed the challenge by Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee against civil suits questioning the mosque's title and surrounding land. The court held that the Places of Worship Act didn't bar the petition as it sought only prayer rights without altering the mosque's religious character. Four Hindu petitioners requested carbon dating of the 'Shivling,' while the fifth petitioner abstained to
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