Varanasi court rejects 'shivling' carbon-dating plea

A Varanasi court on Friday rejected a plea for carbon dating of the 'shivling' claimed to have been found inside Gyanvapi mosque premises, government counsel Rana Sanjiv Singh said.

District Judge AK Vishvesha turned down the Hindu petitioners' plea seeking scientific investigation and carbon dating of the 'shivling', citing Supreme Court directives for its safe keeping so that no tampering can be done.

After completion of hearing of the Hindu side and the mosque committee on Tuesday, the district court had decided to pronounce its verdict on October 14.

Four of the five Hindu parties had sought carbon dating of the 'Shivling' found during a court-mandated videography survey of the mosque premises close to the "wazookhana", a small reservoir used by Muslim devotees to perform ritual ablutions before offering the namaz.

The mosque committee had opposed the demand for carbon dating.