Varanasi: Pankaj Srivastava: Anjuman Islamia Masjid Committee, a party in cases related to the Gyanvapi Masjid dispute, submitted a petition before a Varanasi court on Wednesday in response to a plea filed by the Hindu side demanding an Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) inspection of the disputed mosque site.

The Muslim side raised an objection before the Varanasi district court

In its application, the Muslim side has claimed that Mughal emperor Aurangzeb was not cruel nor did he demolish any Adi Vishveshwara temple in Varanasi in 1669.

“Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb was not cruel, and it was not by his decree that the Lord Vishveshwara Temple in Varanasi was demolished in the year 1669. Furthermore, there has never been a notion or concept of having two Kashi Vishwanath temples (old and new) in Varanasi, neither in the past nor at present,” the application read.

The application also claimed that the Gyanvapi moque structure has been there for thousands of years, contending that it was a masjid and is still a masjid.

“The mosque known as Alamgiri and Gyanvapi masjid, which stands at the site, has been in existence for thousands of years. It was a mosque yesterday and it is a mosque today. Muslims from Varanasi and nearby districts continue to pray here without any hindrance,” the plea stated.

The Muslim side raised an objection before the Varanasi district court to a petition seeking direction to Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to survey the entire Gyanvapi mosque complex.

Responding to the claims, Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) said that except for a handful of individuals, no one in the world will digest this. “If they have so much faith in their messiah named Aurangzeb, why are they afraid of the survey?” VHP national spokesperson Vinod Bansal said.

Meanwhile, the Allahabad High Court will hear the matter of conducting an ASI survey at the Gyanvapi mosque site on May 26 (Friday).

In August 2021, five women filed a petition in the local court seeking the right to perform regular worship at the Shringar Gauri site located in the Gyanvapi mosque premises.