Gyanvapi mosque row | What is ASI doing on the premises, SC asks Centre

The Supreme Court on July 24 gave the Central Government time till 11.15 a. m. to find out what exactly the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is doing following a Varanasi court order on Friday to conduct a scientific survey of the Gyanvapi mosque located next to the Kashi Vishwanath temple.

The Supreme Court on July 24 gave the Central government time till 11.15 a.m. to find out what exactly the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) was doing following a Varanasi court order on July 21 to conduct a scientific survey of the Gyanvapi mosque located next to the Kashi Vishwanath temple.

The top court asked the Solicitor General to convey to the ASI not to undertake any invasive work at mosque site and agreed to take up the plea at 2 p. m.

The mosque management has made an urgent mentioning, alleging that “digging has already started on the western wall”. They have sought a stay of the court order, giving them time to file an appeal against the Varanasi court order.

EXPLAINED | The Gyanvapi Mosque-Kashi Vishwanath dispute and the current case 

The Hindu plaintiffs and the government maintain that the wazukhana area, ordered to be kept sealed by the Supreme Court, has not been touched. The survey is non-invasive. There is no excavation.

Earlier on July 24, a 30-member team of the ASI entered the Gyanvapi complex to carry out a scientific survey in accordance with court orders to determine if the mosque located next to the Kashi Vishwanath temple was built upon a temple.

Besides the ASI team, which entered the complex around 7 a. m., the lawyers of all the Hindu petitioners to the legal dispute were also present at the spot, Madan Mohan Yadav, one of the counsel, said.