Lucknow: The Allahabad High Court has granted permission to the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to conduct a survey of the Gyanvapi mosque complex in Varanasi. The court upheld the Sessions Court’s decision, allowing the ASI to proceed with the survey, according to Vishnu Shankar Jain, who represents the Hindu party in the Gyanvapi survey case.
Last month, a Varanasi court authorised the ASI to conduct a survey of the mosque complex, with the exception of the Wazukhana area, which contains a structure claimed to be a Shivling. The survey aims to determine whether the mosque was constructed by demolishing the Kashi Vishwanath temple.
In response, the Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee challenged the Varanasi District Judge’s order on July 21. However, the Allahabad High Court dismissed the committee’s plea on Thursday. UP Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya expressed his approval of the verdict, stating his confidence that the truth would be revealed through the ASI survey and the Gyanvapi issue would be resolved.
#WATCH | I welcome this verdict. I am confident that the truth will come out after the ASI survey and Gyanvapi issue will be resolved: UP Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya on Allahabad HC allowing ASI survey of Gyanvapi mosque complex pic.twitter.com/g6MioucQtz
— ANI (@ANI) August 3, 2023
Earlier, the Allahabad High Court had instructed the ASI to postpone the survey of the Gyanvapi mosque while the hearing was ongoing. This decision came after the Supreme Court temporarily suspended a comprehensive scientific survey until July 26 at 5 pm.
The Supreme Court initially rectified an order related to the Gyanvapi mosque case on July 24. Inadvertently, the court had disposed of an appeal by the committee questioning the admissibility of a suit by Hindus in the trial court, which sought worship rights inside the mosque. While the Supreme Court granted interim relief by halting the ASI survey, it concluded the main case on July 24. The mosque committee had approached the Supreme Court with an interim plea within an existing petition, seeking a suspension of the ASI’s work.
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