Gyanvapi Masjid Case: Supreme Court Declines To Stay ASI Survey On Mosque Premises

The Supreme Court dismissed the plea challenging the Allahabad HC order allowing the Gyanvapi mosque survey.

The Supreme Court has refused to stay the ASI survey at the Gyanvapi Mosque.

Source : Getty Images

Gyanvapi Mosque Survey: The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed the Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee's plea challenging the Allahabad HC order allowing the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to conduct a scientific survey of the Gyanvapi complex (except Wazukhana). The petition was filed after the HC on Thursday cleared the way for a survey of Gyanvapi masjid after a Varanasi court ruled the same on July 21. A team of AS reached the mosque premises on Friday morning and began the survey of the complex. Senior advocate Huzefa Ahmadi appeared for the mosque committee

Hearing the mosque's plea, the SC said: "It's an interlocutory order. Why should we interfere at this stage? We'll keep all other objections you have to the commissioner's report open. We're not saying that it's admissible or should be relied upon...that can be argued." "This survey will be in the form of a report. Tomorrow, if you succeed in maintainability, it'll just be a piece of paper. Are we at a stage where irreparable damage will be caused," the court was quoted as saying by legal news website Live Law.

The court gave its assent to the survey after the additional solicitor general Madhavi Divan argued:"Certain signs and symbols have clearly been seen there. It's logical to make it reach the conclusion via scientific study. We would ensure all transparency. If if the court wants to see the live stream of the survey, it can."

The Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee had moved the Allahabad High Court after SC put on hold the survey on July 24 and allowed the Muslim side to approach the HC. Meanwhile, security has been tightened around the masjid complex with heavy police deployment within the 300-meter radius.

#WATCH | Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh: A team of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) arrives at the Gyanvapi mosque complex to conduct a scientific survey of the complex pic.twitter.com/gvkyH4f62L

— ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) August 4, 2023

Meanwhile, a hearing is scheduled in the Varanasi court on Friday on the petition to protect the symbols of Hindus in the Gyanvapi campus. Amid this, in a fresh development, Buddhist Guru Sumit Ratan Bhante has claimed that the trishul and swastika symbols found in Gyanvapi are of Buddhism.  

Notably, the survey is being done through Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) technology in which information about metal and other structures can be obtained up to 10 meters deep into the ground without digging. 

#WATCH | Varanasi, UP: On the ASI survey of the Gyanvapi mosque complex, advocate Sohan Lal Arya says, "According to the old list, eight people were there...In the new list that was released by the DM...My name was also there including others but it did not include the names of… pic.twitter.com/l85KGlIyVg

— ANI (@ANI) August 4, 2023

Speaking on the survey, advocate Sohan Lal Arya said "According to the old list, eight people were there...In the new list that was released by the DM...My name was also there including others but it did not include the names of Sudhir Tripathi, Vishnu Shankar Jain and Harishankar Jain...Later, their names were added...The Muslim side has boycotted it (survey)..."

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