LUCKNOW: The Varanasi district court, on Thursday, granted four more weeks to the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to complete the ongoing scientific survey on the premises of the Gyanvapi mosque complex and submit its report by November 6.
The court allowed ASI four more weeks on the condition that the duration of the survey would not be extended beyond this. According to UP Government counsel Rajesh Mishra, Varanasi District Judge Dr Ajay Krishna Vishvesh accepted the plea of ASI which had moved court on Wednesday seeking four more weeks to complete the survey of the Gyanvapi mosque complex.
The ASI, which was supposed to submit the report of the survey by October 6 after getting previous extension of four weeks, now has time till November 6 to do the same.
On September 8, the court had granted the first extension of four weeks to the ASI to complete the court-ordered scientific survey of the Gyanvapi mosque premises and submit a report.
The ASI in an application filed on September 2 had sought eight weeks, but the court had granted four weeks to complete the survey while dismissing a petition filed by the Anjuman Intezamia Masjid (AIM), the mosque management committee, against the ASI’s plea for extension of survey period.
The ASI had, in its September 2 application, seeking more time for the survey, said, “…In compliance with the orders, the ASI is conducting a scientific investigation/survey at the site. A team of archaeologists, archaeological chemists, epigraphists, surveyors, photographers, and other technical personnel has been engaged in scientific investigations and documentation.”
Varanasi district court on July 21 had ordered a scientific survey of the complex next to Kashi Vishwanath Temple to ascertain whether the mosque was “constructed over a pre-existing structure of a Hindu temple”.
The survey has been continuing on the premises of the mosque barring the wuzukhana area sealed on the Supreme Court order. It may be recalled that Varanasi district court had ordered the ASI to conduct scientific survey of the mosque complex on July 21 and submit the report by August 4.
However, after a survey of a couple of days, the work was stayed by the Allahabad High Court and the Supreme Court of India till August 3. ASI could begin the survey in the first week of August and requested the court to extend the period for submission of the report.