Shruti Suman
The Allahabad High Court has ruled that the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) will proceed with its investigation to ascertain whether the Gyanvapi Mosque in Varanasi was constructed on the site of a temple. This decision comes in the face of opposition from the mosque committee, which had raised objections to the survey of the mosque. The Gyanvapi Mosque is situated adjacent to the renowned Kashi Vishwanath temple in Varanasi.
Vishnu Shankar Jain, who represents the Hindu party in the Gyanvapi survey case, informed reporters, “The Allahabad High Court has given the green light for the ASI survey of the Gyanvapi mosque complex to commence. The earlier order of the Sessions court has been upheld by the High Court.”
The ASI survey was initially ordered by a Varanasi court on July 21, following a petition submitted by four women. They contended that conducting a survey was essential to determine whether the historic mosque had been built on the site of a demolished Hindu temple.
Although the survey began on July 24, it was quickly halted by the Supreme Court within hours of its initiation, following an appeal from the mosque committee. The committee argued that the mosque’s age of over a thousand years made it susceptible to instability and potential collapse if any digging were to occur. Additionally, the committee asserted that such a survey would contravene existing laws pertaining to religious sites.
