A court in India announced in a ruling that Indian authorities have the right to conduct a scientific investigation on the “Gyanavapi” mosque located in the city of Varanasi, which was built in the 17th century on top of a Hindu temple.
The Gyanvapi Mosque in the Indian city of Varanasi is one of several mosques in the state of Uttar Pradesh that some Hindus believe were built on the ruins of temples.
The dispute over land ownership has been one of the most hotly debated issues in India between Indians, who make up 80% of the country’s population, and the Muslim minority, who make up 14% of its 1.4 billion people.
Vishnu Shankar Jain, a lawyer for the Hindu plaintiffs, said the Supreme Court in the state of Uttar Pradesh today allowed the Archaeological Survey to inspect the mosque structure without damaging it.
Muslims are against the order of investigation and claim that the mosque building will be damaged.
The Archaeological Bureau of India launched an investigation last month, but India’s Supreme Court halted the project until the appeal session was held today and released this decision.
The Islamic Board managing this mosque announced that this investigation is against the provisions of the 1991 law that protects places of worship.
“Gyanavapi” mosque is the second mosque in North India after the Babri mosque, which is the subject of dispute between Hindus and Muslims.
This mosque was built in the 17th century and Hindus claim that it was built on the ruins of a temple.
Gyanavai Mosque was destroyed once in 1992 by a number of Hindus, and even now, after many years, this mosque is still a source of controversy. This mosque is located next to the “Kashi Vishwanath” temple.
