Varanasi, The district court in Varanasi is anticipated to provide copies of the Gyanvapi survey report to both parties involved, following the Archaeological Survey of India’s (ASI) submission of the report in a sealed cover. The court ordered the survey after petitioners claimed that the 17th-century mosque was constructed over a pre-existing temple.
The Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee, managing the Gyanvapi mosque, has urged the court to keep the report sealed, insisting it should not be handed to any party unless a personal undertaking, in the form of an affidavit, guarantees non-leakage.
“The Muslim side has requested the court that the report should not be made public. The court will decide today whether it will accept the (ASI) report in a sealed envelope or it should be made public,” stated Subhash Nandan Chaturvedi, the lawyer representing the Hindu side.
Chaturvedi emphasized that the Supreme Court’s order explicitly stated that the report should not be filed in a sealed cover.
The survey, directed by the district court’s July 21 order, focused on examining beneath the mosque’s domes, cellars, and the western wall. The ASI was tasked with ensuring no damage to the structure on the disputed land during the survey.
The survey, initiated on August 4, excluded the ‘wazu khana’ following a previous Supreme Court order protecting that particular spot. The ASI received multiple extensions to complete the survey.
In a related development, the Allahabad High Court granted permission for a similar survey of the Shahi Eidgah mosque adjacent to the Krishna Janmabhoomi temple in Mathura. While the high court was set to discuss the survey’s modalities on Monday, the hearing was postponed at the request of the Muslim side.
Hindu groups in both Varanasi and Mathura argue that mosques were built after demolishing temples during Islamic rule, and therefore, the land should be returned to Hindus. Muslim groups contend that the 1991 Places of Worship Act prohibits such petitions, as it preserves the religious character of holy sites as of the day of independence.
Stay tuned for further updates on this developing story.
