The Supreme Court on Friday told the Archeological Survey of India (ASI) to not conduct carbon dating of a 'Shivling' inside the Gyanvapi mosque-Kashi Vishwanath corridor, till the next hearing on the matter.

The 'Shivling' is a disputed structure that was found at the Gyanvapi mosque complex in Varanasi during a videographic survey in 2022. The court deferred the implications of an earlier order by the Allahabad High Court, that had permitted carbon dating on the structure.

The order was passed by a Supreme Court bench consisting of Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud and Justice PS Narasimha. The court also sought responses from the Central and Uttar Pradesh governments over a plea filed by the Muslim side against the Allahabad HC order.

Arguing on behalf of the UP government, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said, "We also need to find out whether, instead of carbon dating some other scientific tests should be done."

Responding to this, CJI Chandrachud said, "One has to tread carefully in these matters." The bench put a hold on the Allahabad HC's order that had allowed a scientific investigation to ascertain whether the structure is a 'Shivling' or a fountain.