National

Uttar Pradesh: ASI Seeks More Time To Submit Gyanvapi Survey Report

November 17, 2023
Bharat Times English News

The Archaeological Survey of India was to submit the Gyanvapi survey report to a court today in a sealed envelope. However, the government body sought more time from the court to finalize and submit the report. An advocate representing the ASI said the representation of the scientific investigation conducted in the Gyanvapi complex from August 4 to November 3 has not yet been received and due to this reason, the advocate requested an additional 15 days’ time from the court. According to the report, the report will be submitted to the court after more than three months of the survey done by the ASI team. Over 50 officials were part of the ASI team doing the survey. Over 300 evidence including broken idols and signs were found during the survey. The report is likely to be submitted around 2pm.

The Hindu side has claimed that the Gyanvapi Mosque is part of the Kashi Viswanath temple and thus they are allowed to perform puja there. However, the Muslim side has rejected the claims.

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Earlier this month, the Supreme Court refused to interfere with the order passed by the Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court, Justice Pritinker Diwaker, transferring the case relating to the Kashi Vishwanath temple-Gyanvapi Mosque dispute to another bench from a single-judge bench.

In September, Hindu side advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain, had informed that a new request was filed in the Varanasi district court aimed at transferring the ownership of the basement of the Gyanvapi complex, currently under the control of the Vyas family, to the District Magistrate. The ‘tahkhana’ (basement) under the possession of the Vyas family is situated in the southern section of the Gyanvapi mosque.

The Vyas family of Varanasi continues to possess one of the four basements of the complex which were surveyed by Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). In 1991, the Vyas family filed a case demanding the handover of the Gyanvapi mosque structure to Hindus, claiming that except for the upper structure, where namaz is offered and the domes, the entire structure still stands on the Lord Visheshwar temple.