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The Varanasi District Court on Wednesday allowed copies of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) report in the Gyanvapi mosque complex to be made available to both parties in the matter, said advocates representing the Muslim and Hindu sides.
In December 2023, the ASI had submitted its report on a scientific survey it had undertaken at the Gyanvapi mosque complex to the District Court, which had ordered it to ascertain whether the mosque was “constructed over a pre-existing structure of a Hindu temple”.
Speaking to The Indian Express on Wednesday, Advocate Mumtaz Ahmad, representing the Anjuman Intezamia Masajid Committee, said, “The District judge has ordered that parties can submit applications, and that they will be provided a copy of the ASI report”.
The order was passed by District and Sessions Judge A K Vishvesha, said Ahmad.
Advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain, who represents the Hindu petitioners in the court, said, “A hearing happened today. An understanding was reached between the parties that a hard copy which is certified be made available to parties in the case. The court will pass an order in this regard soon. We will have to see what the court writes in its order. The court has agreed on issuing certified copies to parties”.
“The ASI said that soft copies can’t be issued because of the threat of cyber crimes… Once the court order comes, we will apply for a copy of the report,” he added.
On May 16, 2022, a videographic survey of the Kashi Vishwanath temple-Gyanvapi mosque was completed by a Commission appointed by the local court. During the survey proceedings, a structure which the Hindu side claimed was a “shivling”, and the Muslim side claimed was a “fountain”, was found to be inside the mosque premises.
On July 21, 2023, a scientific survey of the Gyanvapi mosque complex was ordered by the Varanasi district court. This time, the District and Sessions Judge A K Vishvesha had directed the ASI to “undertake scientific investigation/survey/excavation at the property in question i.e. settlement plot number 9130 (Gyanvapi mosque)”.
On August 4, 2023, the survey by the ASI amid tight security arrangements was resumed after the Allahabad High Court and the Supreme Court allowed it, dismissing pleas filed jointly by the Anjuman Intezamia Masajid Committee and the UP Sunni Central Waqf Board. The ASI teams have been surveying the campus since then.
On December 11, 2023, the Varanasi District Court granted another week to the ASI to submit the findings of the court-ordered scientific survey of the Gyanvapi mosque premises. The ASI on December 18 submitted its report on a scientific survey it had undertaken at the Gyanvapi mosque complex.
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