LUCKNOW: The Varanasi district court granted one week more to the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) for the final submission of the report of the scientific survey the agency has conducted on the Gyanvapi mosque premises. The ASI, which sought a seventh extension of a week for the submission of the report stated that their superintendent Archaeologist Avinash Mohanty was unwell and hence the agency was unable to submit the report.
It may be recalled that on November 30, the Varanasi District Court granted 10 more days to the ASI to finalize the report and submit it before the court by December 11. The court granted a sixth extension to ASI asking it to positively submit the report in the given time and not to seek a further extension.
The court had fixed December 11 as the final date of report submission in response to the ASI application seeking an extension of three more weeks for the final submission of the Gyanvapi mosque premises survey report.
Now the ASI has been granted one additional week by Varanasi district judge Dr AK Vishwesha who fixed December 18 as the day for submission of the final report. The ASI was ordered by the Varanasi district court to conduct a scientific survey of the Gyanvapi mosque premises barring the sealed area of the ablution pond on July 21, 2023.
The ASI was given the mandate by the court to ascertain through the survey if the mosque was standing on a pre-existing Hindu temple. In compliance with this order, the ASI started the scientific study of Gyanvapi mosque barring the sealed area of the ablution pond on July 24.
However, Anjuman Intezamia Masajid (AIM) the mosque management committee filed a revision petition before Allahabad High Court. On the order of the HC, the ASI survey of Gyanvapi mosque was halted on July 24. Later after hearing the AIM plea, the HC dismissed the objection of AIM against the district judge's court order on August 3.
The AIM then moved the Supreme Court against the HC order. However, the apex court refused to stop the ASI survey of Gyanvapi after which the ASI resumed the survey on August 4. Initially, the ASI was given time till August 4 to complete the survey and submit the report but since it was not possible, the survey agency sought an extension thrice on August 5, September 8, and October 5 to complete the survey work.
After the end of the study and survey in the field at Gyanvapi mosque the ASI on November 2 and November 17 had moved pleas for another extension before it sought another extension of three weeks on November 28 to finalise the report by mentioning technical reasons.