Gyanvapi masjid committee to move SC against Allahabad HC green signal for survey

Lucknow: The Gyanvapi masjid committee announced its decision to move the Supreme Court challenging the Allahabad High Court order that allowed the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to go ahead with the scientific survey inside the mosque.

Today, the Allahabad High Court has dismissed a petition filed by the Anjuman Mosque Committee, challenging the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) survey of the historic Gyanvapi mosque complex in Varanasi.

In its order, the Allahabad High Court deemed the issuance of a commission for the scientific survey to be permissible and justified. The court emphasized the importance of the survey in the interest of justice, leading to the dismissal of the petition filed by the Anjuman Mosque Committee.

The committee contended that the survey should be conducted at a later stage in the legal proceedings after both parties have submitted their evidence. They also expressed concerns that the excavation work involved in the survey might harm the structural integrity of the Gyanvapi mosque.

The dispute surrounding the Gyanvapi mosque complex began when four Hindu women moved an application on May 16, 2023, requesting a scientific survey of the site. Their plea sought to ascertain whether the existing mosque structure was constructed on the foundations of a pre-existing Hindu temple.

While the Varanasi district judge, AK Vishvesha, had issued an order on July 21, 2023, directing the ASI to conduct the survey, the Anjuman Mosque Committee challenged this decision.

After a week of deliberation, Chief Justice Pritinker Diwaker finally reserved the order. During this period, the ASI was prohibited from commencing the survey until the court's decision was made public.