Gyanvapi Case: Mosque Committee moves SC after Allahabad HC allows ASI survey

economictimes.indiatimes.com:

Masjid Committee moved Supreme Court on Thursday challenging the Allahabad High Court's order allowing ASI to conduct a scientific survey of the Gyanvapi mosque premises. Advocate of the Masjid Committee mentioned the matter before the apex court saying not to allow ASI to carry out the survey.

To this, the Supreme Court said that it will look into the issue. Early on Thursday morning, the Allahabad High Court allowed the Archaeological Survey of India to conduct a survey of the Gyanvapi mosque complex in Varanasi rejecting the Muslim side's plea of stopping the survey.

ASI team will start conducting the survey shortly as directed by the court. Sessions court order upheld was upheld by HC, says Vishnu Shankar Jain, representing the Hindu side in Gyanvapi survey case.

The court of Chief Justice Pritinker Diwaker was hearing the plea filed by Anjuman Intezamia Masjid, which manages the mosque, against the Varanasi District Court’s order that had allowed the survey of the complex, excluding the wazukhana area. On July 28, appearing for the state of Uttar Pradesh, Advocate General Ajai Mishra said the state government is there to maintain law and order and that it has no concern with the survey.

On July 21, a Varanasi court had directed the ASI to conduct the survey of the mosque to find out whether the mosque was built on the site of a temple. The survey that began on July 24, was stalled by the Supreme Court which ordered «some breathing time» to appeal a district court order.