The Allahabad High Court has said that hearing to be Continue tomorrow and Survey should be stayed till the final Judgment. Chief Justice of Allahabad High Court said that court will continue the hearing at 3:30 pm tomorrow i.e. on Thursday.
Earlier, the Muslim side gave various arguments to declare the ASI survey as unnecessary and the order of Survey is beyond the purview of the district court. The lawyers for the Muslim side also expressed apprehension that the fate of the Gyanvapi mosque may also be similar to that of the disputed structure in Ayodhya.
The High Court has said in its order that under no circumstances should there be any damage to the structure of the mosque. The High Court has also said that after the GPR report, if there is a need to excavate any part, it will first be brought to the notice of the court.
The Path That leads to Survey
In 2021, the Gyanvapi mosque gained significant attention when a group of Hindu women sought permission from an Uttar Pradesh court to worship deities within the Gyanvapi complex. This request triggered a series of events and legal actions.
Subsequently, a lower court ordered a video survey of the Gyanvapi complex. During this survey, an object was discovered, which some people claimed to be a shivling (a representation of Lord Shiva). However, the mosque management committee disputed this claim, stating that the object was, in fact, a part of a fountain in the wuzukhana (a pool used for washing hands and feet before prayers).
Given the sensitive nature of the issue, the Supreme Court decided to seal off the pool area (wuzukhana) to prevent any further disputes or conflicts.
In a later development, the Allahabad High Court dismissed the mosque committee’s petition challenging the validity of the request to worship Hindu deities within the mosque premises. This dismissal cleared the path for the Varanasi court to rule on the matter, allowing the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to conduct a survey inside the Gyanvapi mosque complex, excluding the pool area.
The masjid committee approached the Supreme Court in some other matter but with the permission of bench, Advocates of masjid committee expressed concerns about the potential excavation activities that could take place during the ASI survey. In this response, the the Supreme Court ordered ‘Status-Quo’and directed Masjid Committee to approach Allahabad High Court.
