Gyanvapi Masjid Survey to Continue for Justice: Allahabad High Court

New Delhi: The Allahabad High Court on Thursday ruled that the Archaeological Survey of India should continue its survey to determine if the Gyanvapi Mosque in Varanasi was built on a temple or not.

The Gyanvapi Masjid committee had challenged the survey of the mosque adjacent to the famous Kashi Vishwanath temple in Varanasi.

“Allahabad High Court has said that the ASI survey of the Gyanvapi mosque complex will start. Sessions court order is upheld by the High Court,” Vishnu Shankar Jain, representing the Hindu side in the Gyanvapi survey case told reporters.

The ASI survey had been ordered by a Varanasi court on July 21. The court had taken this decision while hearing a petition filed by four women who claimed the ASI survey was the only way to determine whether the Gyanvapi mosque was built after razing a Hindu temple or not.

The ASI started its survey on July 24. But in a few hours, the survey was stopped by the Supreme Court when the mosque committee approached it.

The Gyanvapi mosque committee argued that any digging for the survey may destabilize its ancient structure, leading to its collapse. The committee also alleged that the ASI survey violated existing laws related to religious places.