Devotees of Lord Vishweshwar have moved the Lucknow bench of Allahabad Court seeking the constitution of a committee or commission to study the nature of the structure found in the Gyanvapi campus. They have requested for a body that is headed by a judge of the Supreme Court or High Court to look into the matter.
A writ petition has been filed to find whether it is the Shiva Linga as Hindus claim or the fountain as claimed by Muslims.
The plea requests the Court to direct the State of UP and the Central Government to permit the Lord Shiva devotees in case a Shiva Linga has been found inside the mosque as claimed.
Advocate Ashok Pande has filed the writ on behalf of five residents of Varanasi namely Sarve Sri Sudhir Singh, Baba Balak Das, Shivendra Pratap Singh, and Markande Tiwari, and Rajan Rai along with two Advocates practicing in high court at Lucknow, namely Ravi Mishra and Atul Kumar.
As per the petition, if a structure has been found which resembles a shiva linga inside the Gyanvapi structure, then the Government should send an expert team comprising ASI experts with Hindu saints and Muslim clerics to find the reality. The petition also mentions that if it comes to be Shivling, then it should be given to Hindus without further delay.
The petition requests the idol (in case it is Shiva) to be given for Puja, Aarti, Prasad and Darshan of Lord Vishweshwar.
The petition clearly says that in case it is a fountain then it should be made functional so that the communal tension prevailing in the country may come under control.
The petition was filed as an important step because a comment by BJP leader Nupur Sharma on Prophet Muhammad has disturbed the relationship of the country with Muslim countries and this needs to be sorted once and for all.
The communal tension that is prevailing can only be sorted by clear understanding of the structure.
India is a secular country and the religious rituals are a big part of its culture. To avoid any communal disturbance, this seems a best resort, prayed the petitioners.