VARANASI: A Varanasi court on Thursday gave additional time till November 17 to the ASI to complete a scientific
survey of the Gyanvapi mosque complex here and submit its report.
Accepting the request of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), District Judge A K Vishvesh passed the order, Central government counsel Amit Srivastava said.
The court was informed that the ASI has completed its survey, but it may take some more time for compiling the report along with the details of the equipment used in the survey work and requested for additional time, Srivastava said.
On October 5, the court granted four more weeks to the ASI and said that the duration of the survey will not be extended.
The Gyanvapi Mosque case is a legal dispute centred around the Gyanvapi Mosque in Varanasi. It is adjacent to the Kashi Vishwanath Temple and has been a subject of historical and religious contention.
The case primarily revolves around claims by certain Hindu groups that the Gyanvapi Mosque was built on the site of an earlier Hindu temple, which was destroyed during the Mughal era. The Hindu petitioners seek to reclaim the land where the mosque stands and allow for Hindu worship.
The legal battle has gone on for many years, and the mosque’s status remains a
sensitive and contentious issue. The case has seen
various legal proceedings and appeals.
The Anjuman Intezamia Masajid Committee, which manages the Gyanvapi mosque, is of the view that the proceedings are an attempt to change the religious character of the mosque.
They argue that their rights under the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991, are being violated. The act bars the conversion of a place of worship from how it existed on August 15, 1947, the day of India’s independence from British rule.
However, in response to the arguments presented by the mosque committee, a bench of Justices D Y Chandrachud (now the Chief Justice of India), Surya Kant, and P S Narasimha said the “ascertainment of the religious character of a place is not barred by the [1991] Act.”