
Gyanvapi mosque management moves High Court over ASI survey
The Hindu
HC hears plea against district court order to survey Gyanvapi mosque in Varanasi to determine if temple existed at same spot. The Supeme Court halted the ASI survey till 5 pm July 26, allowing time for mosque management to appeal.
The Allahabad High Court on July 25 began hearing a plea against a district court order directing the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to conduct a survey to determine if the Gyanvapi mosque in Varanasi was built upon a temple.
The plea is being heard in the court of Prakash Padia.
On July 24, the Supreme Court had halted the ASI survey till 5 pm on July 26, allowing time for the mosque management to appeal against the lower court’s order.
The mosque is located next to the Kashi Vishwanath temple and Hindu litigants in the district court had sought the survey to determine whether a temple existed at the same spot earlier.
The Varanasi district court had ordered the ASI on July 21 to conduct a survey using technologies like ground penetrating radar and excavations, if necessary.
The apex court order to pause the survey came while the ASI team was inside the complex.