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Varanasi court denies Gyanvapi mosque committee’s request to halt ASI survey

A court in Varanasi has dismissed a plea by the Gyanvapi mosque management committee to halt the ongoing scientific survey of the complex being conducted by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). The District Judge A K Vishvesh, while ruling on the matter, explained that the survey had already received approval from both the Allahabad High Court and the Supreme Court. Therefore, the court could not issue any orders to stop the survey.

The ASI is conducting this scientific survey in the vicinity of the Gyanvapi mosque, which is located next to the Kashi Vishwanath temple in Varanasi. The purpose of the survey is to ascertain whether the 17th-century mosque was constructed on the site of a Hindu temple.

The mosque management committee had argued in the district court that the ASI survey was being carried out against established regulations and should be terminated. They claimed that no notice had been served to the litigants, and no fees had been charged.

The district judge pointed out that no new conditions could be imposed on the plaintiffs. The judge also emphasized that the ASI is a government organization, not a private entity, and compelling someone to cover the survey expenses would be inappropriate.

Additionally, the court addressed a petition from the Hindu side requesting the survey of the sealed ‘wazukhana’ in the Gyanvapi complex. The court has scheduled a hearing for this matter on October 5.

The ASI’s survey was initiated following a ruling by the Allahabad High Court, which upheld a Varanasi district court order, deeming the survey to be “necessary in the interest of justice” and beneficial for both Hindu and Muslim parties involved. The Supreme Court had declined to stay the Allahabad High Court’s order.

 

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