Varanasi court verdict on plea for carbon dating of Shivling on Oct 14

The  Varanasi court said it will give its order on a plea seeking carbon-dating of a Shivling found in the Gyanvapi Mosque Complex on October 14.

Hindu petitioners had during a court-mandated videography survey of the mosque premises claimed that a "Shivling" was found close to the "wazookhana", a small reservoir used by Muslim devotees to perform ritual ablutions before offering the namaz.

The claim was disputed by the Muslim side, which said the object was part of a "fountain". Arguments on the plea were complete on Tuesday and the court will pronounce its verdict on October 14, District Government Counsel Mahendra Pratap Pandey said.

Advocate Mumtaz Ahmed, who appeared for the Muslim side, said they told the court that carbon dating of the object cannot be done. If the object gets damaged in the name of carbon dating, it amounts to the defiance of the order of the Supreme Court, he said.

Earlier, the Muslim side had contended that the Supreme Court had asked the Varanasi district magistrate to keep the object safe. In such a situation, getting it examined cannot be justified, they had said.