Gyanvapi Case: ASI Seeks 8-Week Extension For Complex Survey As Previous Deadline Ends Today

The ASI had previously been granted four weeks to complete its Gyanvapi complex survey by a Varanasi court. It has now requested an eight-week extension (56 days) to complete the survey.

The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), which has been tasked with conducting a survey in the Gyanvapi complex, has sought an extension of eight weeks from the Varanasi court as the previous four-week deadline for completion of the survey concludes on Saturday (September 2), news agency ANI reported. 

Previously, lawyers for Hindu litigants suggested that ASI may seek more time to submit the preliminary report emphasising that the survey is still ongoing. 

Sudhir Tripathi, an advocate representing the Hindu side, voiced concerns about the survey's status, stating, "ASI may give a primary report but they should not submit the final report yet as the survey is incomplete. After lunch, the court will hear the matter. There is a possibility that ASI may ask for more time from the court," Tripathi told ANI. Shubhash Nandan Chaturvedi, another lawyer representing Hindu litigants, concurred that the survey's completion is uncertain and ASI might request an extension of the deadline.

The scientific survey of the complex, adjacent to the Kashi Vishwanath Temple, commenced on August 4, following the Allahabad High Court's order, which permitted ASI to determine whether the 17th-century mosque was constructed over the remains of a pre-existing Hindu temple. Advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain, also representing the Hindu side, ruled out the possibility of an out-of-court settlement in the Gyanvapi Mosque dispute, citing legal constraints.

Jain's remarks followed Jitendra Singh Bisen, the international president of the Vishwa Vedic Sanatan Sangh, proposing an out-of-court settlement to the Anjuman Intejamia.  According to ANI, Jain asserted, "...in matters related to the country and society, where a representative suit is filed involving the entire society, even if one person or party wants to settle alone, they cannot. So this initiative for an out-of-court settlement is not possible…as it is not legally possible." 

On August 3, the Allahabad High Court dismissed the Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee's petition challenging the Varanasi court's order allowing ASI to conduct a scientific survey of the Gyanvapi mosque premises. Previously, the Supreme Court declined to halt ASI's "scientific investigation" of the Gyanvapi premises in Varanasi.