By Rajesh Pandey
In a significant development, the Allahabad High Court on Monday postponed until January 12, 2026, the hearing on a petition seeking a fresh archaeological survey of the wazukhana (ablution area) of the Gyanvapi Mosque, excluding the disputed structure that Hindus claim is a Shivling and Muslims describe as a fountain.
The civil revision petition was filed by Rakhi Sing, one of the original plaintiffs in the “Shringar Gauri worship” suit at the Varanasi court.
The revision challenges a 21 October 2023 order by the Varanasi District Judge, which denied direction to the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to conduct a comprehensive survey of the wazukhana area, leaving out the disputed central structure.
The bench, presided over by Rohit Ranjan Agarwal, adjourned the case after being informed that the matter is also under consideration in the Supreme Court of India (SC), which has scheduled its next hearing for December 16, 2025.
The presence of an interim order issued by the apex court remains effective.
Earlier, similar petitions had been deferred multiple times — reflecting an ongoing stalemate.
In May 2025, the High Court had postponed proceedings to July 4, citing the SC’s interim stay on court-ordered surveys in matters relating to religious places.
The Gyanvapi case — one of India’s most contested heritage and religious-site disputes —centres on conflicting claims over whether the site’s existing mosque was built on the ruins of the historic Hindu temple of the same name, and whether structures inside the complex, especially in the wazukhana zone, deserve archaeological verification.
A prior ASI survey had covered parts of the complex, but the wazukhana pond — central to demands by Hindu petitioners — remained unexamined under the SC’s December 2022 interim stay.
With the January 12 hearing now in view, both sides and the larger public await with anticipation — aware that the outcome could significantly influence the future of heritage preservation, religious-property litigation and community relations.
#GyanvapiMosque #WazukhanaSurvey #AllahabadHighCourt #ASI #ReligiousSites #HeritageJustice #SupremeCourtStay #IndiaNews #ReligiousDispute #VaranasiCourt