LUCKNOW: The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) on Wednesday urged the Varanasi district court to postpone the release of the report of scientific survey conducted by it on Gyanvapi mosque premises by four weeks as the agency was supposed to submit the same report to Varanasi Court of Civil Judge (Senior Division), Fast Track Court, in compliance of the Allahabad HC order of December 19 and that it needed time to prepare another copy of the report.
Varanasi district judge DR AK Vishwesha would pronounce the order in the matter on Thursday. The agency has to submit the report in lower court in connection with the Gyanvapi title suit of 1991. The ASI had submitted the survey report in the Varanasi district court on December 18, last year. The Allahabad High Court, on December 19, had dismissed a batch of petitions challenging the maintainability of civil suit of 1991 pertaining to Kashi Vishwanath temple-Gyanvapi land title dispute.
The High Court had held that the title suits filed by the Hindu plaintiffs and pending before Varanasi trial court were maintainable. The Allahabad HC had also directed that the report of ASI survey conducted in one suit shall also be submitted in connection with the other pertaining suits and if the lower court felt that a survey of any part was necessary, the court may direct ASI to conduct it.
The ASI, in an application, contended that before the submission of the survey report to lower court of Varanasi, its release into the public domain would be inappropriate. “It may end up in spreading rumours and misinformation potentially impacting the ASI’s ongoing work,” contended the agency. It may be noted that the ASI had conducted a 90-day scientific survey on the premises of Gyanvapi mosque.
‘Misinformation’
The ASI, in an application, contended that before the submission of the survey report to lower court of Varanasi, its release into the public domain would be inappropriate. “It may end up in spreading rumours and misinformation potentially impacting the ASI’s ongoing work,” contended the agency.