The Supreme Court granted approval on Tuesday to a plea by Hindu women petitioners seeking direction for the cleaning of the ‘wazukhana’ area of Gyanvapi mosque, where an alleged ‘Shivling’ was discovered, to maintain hygienic conditions. The bench, comprising Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, Justices JB Pardiwala, and Manoj Misra, specified that the cleaning process should be supervised by the district administration of Varanasi, in line with previous court orders.
The Gyanvapi mosque management committee expressed support for cleaning the water tank, which had been sealed for nearly two years under the Supreme Court’s directives. The ‘wazukhana’ is the reservoir where devotees perform ablutions before offering namaz.
An application highlighted that fishes in the water tank had died, emitting a putrid smell between December 12 to 25, 2023. The petitioners, citing the sacred nature of the Shivlingam to Hindus, emphasized the need to keep it clean and away from dirt, grime, and dead animals.
The application, filed through advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain, attributed the fish deaths to the management committee of the mosque. It suggested that the unfortunate situation could have been avoided if the fishes had been transferred, as requested by the District Magistrate of Varanasi.
The ‘wazukhana’ area had been sealed in 2022 following the discovery of the Shivling, a point of contention in the Gyanvapi mosque-Kashi Vishwanath temple dispute. The dispute centers around the Hindu claim of a Shivling found in the ‘Wazu’ area, while the Muslim side contends it is merely a water fountain.
