Gyanvapi Mosque: ASI begins survey amid legal challenge

livemint.com:

ANI, DCP Kashi Zone, Ram Sewak Gautam said, “Parking facilities have been made and barricading has also been done...All devotees are smoothly having the 'darshan' and all the security arrangements are in place." Subhash Nandan Chaturvedi, an advocate representing the Hindu side on the Gyanvapi case, said, “We are sure that the whole premise is of the temple only...the result of the survey will be favourable to us." Earlier on Friday, the Varanasi district court issued a ruling demanding an extensive investigation of the Gyanvapi Masjid by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). The purpose of this survey is to determine whether the mosque was constructed on top of a pre-existing Hindu temple. The court stated that conducting a scientific examination is crucial to reveal the authentic historical facts surrounding the site.

Nevertheless, the court directed that the sealed section, which has been inaccessible since the Supreme Court's order in May 2022, should be excluded from the survey. This specific area has been a subject of dispute, with Hindus asserting that a Shivling (a representation of Lord Shiva) was discovered there, while Muslims contend that it is part of a fountain. “The ASI survey will begin on Monday.

All the parties, including plaintiffs and defendants related to the matter, have been informed about it," Varanasi district magistrate, S Rajalingam. The committee in charge of the mosque has announced that they will not participate in the survey. They further stated that they have already approached the Supreme Court to challenge the ruling issued by the district court regarding the survey.