- April 5, 2023
Allahabad HC raps ASI DG for not filing report on carbon dating of ‘Shivling’ found inside Gyanvapi | India News – Times of India
PRAYAGRAJ: The Allahabad high court on Wednesday rapped Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) director general (DG) V Vidyavathi for failing to file a report regarding carbon dating of the purported Shivling found inside the Gyanvapi mosque complex despite being given several chances.
However, “as a measure of last opportunity”, the court allowed the DG ASI further time to submit the report on or before April 17, but made it clear that no more time would be granted in future.
Terming the ASI DG’s inaction as “lethargic attitude”, the HC said, “Inaction appears to have hampered the proceedings of this court on the point of consideration and disposal of this revision. Certainly, this lethargic attitude on the part of the ASI director general is highly deplorable and such practice must be deprecated. The desired report has not been submitted though directed since November 2022.”
While fixing April 17 as the next date, Justice Arvind Kumar Mishra-1 said, “A high authority holding the post of director general, ASI, controlling particular administration all over the country must know the seriousness of the matter and ought to respect the orders of the court, primarily of higher courts.”
“Though the director general, ASI, does not deserve any further time but it would be in the fitness of things before proceeding straightway with consideration of the merit of this revision to give the last chance to submit a report. Things cannot be kept pending for long when the matter has elements of high publicity all over the country. This court will not permit any authority to occasion delay on the pretext of the submission of the desired report of the ASI,” he said.
Earlier, on March 20, while expressing displeasure over non-filing of response by the ASI, despite eight weeks’ time given to it, the high court, while fixing April 5 for the next hearing, had granted one last chance to the ASI to file its response by then to clarify whether the carbon dating of the object (purported Shivling) could damage it or safe evaluation of its age can be done.
The high court had first on November 4, 2022, sought the response of the ASI in the matter and directed the DG to submit the opinion whether investigation of the said structure, if examined through carbon dating, ground-penetrating radar (GPR), excavation and other methods adopted to determine its age, nature and other relevant information, is likely to damage it or a safe evaluation about its age could be done.
The HC order came in response to a civil revision petition filed by one Laxmi Devi and three others challenging a Varanasi court order of October 14, 2022, rejecting the demand for carbon dating and scientific determination of the purported ‘Shivling’ found during a court-mandated survey of Gyanvapi mosque premises on May 16, 2022.
Earlier, at one stage on November 21, 2022, the counsel for ASI had made an oral submission before the court stating that the ASI was still contemplating with its experts as to what methods could be adopted to determine the age of the purported ‘Shivling’. In view of it, he had sought further time of three months to submit ASI DG’s opinion as to whether a safe evaluation of the age of the purported ‘Shivling’ could be done by adopting a scientific methodology.
Carbon dating is a method of calculating the age of very old objects by measuring the amounts of different forms of carbon in them.
However, “as a measure of last opportunity”, the court allowed the DG ASI further time to submit the report on or before April 17, but made it clear that no more time would be granted in future.
Terming the ASI DG’s inaction as “lethargic attitude”, the HC said, “Inaction appears to have hampered the proceedings of this court on the point of consideration and disposal of this revision. Certainly, this lethargic attitude on the part of the ASI director general is highly deplorable and such practice must be deprecated. The desired report has not been submitted though directed since November 2022.”
While fixing April 17 as the next date, Justice Arvind Kumar Mishra-1 said, “A high authority holding the post of director general, ASI, controlling particular administration all over the country must know the seriousness of the matter and ought to respect the orders of the court, primarily of higher courts.”
“Though the director general, ASI, does not deserve any further time but it would be in the fitness of things before proceeding straightway with consideration of the merit of this revision to give the last chance to submit a report. Things cannot be kept pending for long when the matter has elements of high publicity all over the country. This court will not permit any authority to occasion delay on the pretext of the submission of the desired report of the ASI,” he said.
Earlier, on March 20, while expressing displeasure over non-filing of response by the ASI, despite eight weeks’ time given to it, the high court, while fixing April 5 for the next hearing, had granted one last chance to the ASI to file its response by then to clarify whether the carbon dating of the object (purported Shivling) could damage it or safe evaluation of its age can be done.
The high court had first on November 4, 2022, sought the response of the ASI in the matter and directed the DG to submit the opinion whether investigation of the said structure, if examined through carbon dating, ground-penetrating radar (GPR), excavation and other methods adopted to determine its age, nature and other relevant information, is likely to damage it or a safe evaluation about its age could be done.
The HC order came in response to a civil revision petition filed by one Laxmi Devi and three others challenging a Varanasi court order of October 14, 2022, rejecting the demand for carbon dating and scientific determination of the purported ‘Shivling’ found during a court-mandated survey of Gyanvapi mosque premises on May 16, 2022.
Earlier, at one stage on November 21, 2022, the counsel for ASI had made an oral submission before the court stating that the ASI was still contemplating with its experts as to what methods could be adopted to determine the age of the purported ‘Shivling’. In view of it, he had sought further time of three months to submit ASI DG’s opinion as to whether a safe evaluation of the age of the purported ‘Shivling’ could be done by adopting a scientific methodology.
Carbon dating is a method of calculating the age of very old objects by measuring the amounts of different forms of carbon in them.
