On Thursday, the Allahabad High Court allowed a court-monitored survey of the Shahi Idgah adjoining the Krishna Janmabhoomi temple, which is an important milestone in the temple-mosque dispute in Mathura.
The court has agreed to the appointment of an advocate commissioner to oversee the entire survey of the mosque premises, which the petition claims hold a sign that it was a Hindu temple at some point in the past.
Justice Mayank Kumar Jain commented on the modalities of the survey, which will be discussed at the hearing on December 18, 2023. The order on the Krishina Janmabhoomi-Shahi Idgah issue is the second temple-mosque dispute in which the state’s high court has given its nod to a survey over the past few months. The ASI (Archeological Survey of India) recently completed a survey of the Gyanvapi mosque, which was next to Varanasi’s Kashi Vishwanath Temple, but has asked for more time from a local court to complete its report.
While arguing for their case for a survey, the petitioners gave an example of the Varanasi case as well. Justice Jain said that no harm should be caused to the Mathura structure during the survey, which he said could be overseen by a commission of advocates.
The high court said, “The commission is duty bound to submit its fair and impartial report on the basis of the actual status of the property. The commission may also submit its discovery as to the existence of particular signs at the property as referred by the plaintiffs,”
The high court also said that representatives of both sides to the dispute can accompany the commission members and assist them “so that the correct position of the spot may be noted and be brought before the Court.””
The court has also asked to maintain the sanctity of the premises during the execution of the surgery.
