Gyanvapi Mosque Case: Allahabad HC Extends Stay on ASI Survey till Tomorrow | Know What Happens Next

The Allahabad High Court on Monday stayed the ASI survey of the Gyanvapi mosque till Thursday as the hearing on a plea challenging a court order on directions to conduct a scientific survey of the complex, is underway.

The Supreme Court’s stay on the survey as directed by a Varanasi court, ended on Wednesday. Hence, extending the stay, the court of Chief Justice Pritinker Diwaker directed the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) not to carry out its survey.

The Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee, which is the caretaker of the historic mosque in Varanasi, had filed a petition before the HC saying the ASI survey will damage the religious structure. The HC will continue to hear the mosque committee’s petition on Thursday (July 27).

“Since the Supreme Court stay was till 5 pm today (Wednesday, July 26), if any of your team is present at the spot, ask them not to conduct the survey now as the hearing is going on,” Chief Justice Diwaker told an ASI officer.

The mosque committee had approached the HC on Tuesday (July 25), challenging the district court’s order last week directing the ASI to conduct a survey of the Gyanvapi mosque to unearth “scientific facts”. The order was given on the plea of Hindu plaintiffs in the Shringar Gauri-Gyanvapi case, demanding a scientific survey of the mosque complex.

But this survey was put on hold by the SC till 5 pm on July 26 to give some breathing time to the mosque committee. Besides, the top court had also observed that if the petitioner moves the HC, the registrar-judicial should ensure that the plea is placed before a bench so that it is heard before the status quo order ends.

Senior advocate SFA Naqvi, the counsel representing the Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee or the Muslim side in the Gyanvapi case, said the survey ordered by the district court has been stayed by the Allahabad HC for now. The counsel further said in the affidavit filed by the ASI before the court, it has assured that the survey will be done without causing any damage to the mosque structure.

“We will submit our response tomorrow,” the counsel said. But the counsel representing the five Hindu women called this a “delay tactic” employed by the Muslim side. “It is purely a delay tactic. The matter will now be heard on Thursday at 3.30 pm; till then, the survey will be on hold,” said Hari Shankar Jai, senior counsel representing the Hindu side.

Acting promptly on the district court’s order, an ASI team of some 50 people, including the five women plaintiffs, lawyers, archaeological experts among others, had launched the survey on Monday morning (July 24). But this was halted by the SC, whose order is an outcome of the hearing of a contempt petition filed by the mosque management committee challenging the district court’s order.