Gyanvapi mosque survey put on hold by Supreme Court for two days

The Supreme Court on Monday halted till July 26, 05.00 pm, the Varanasi district court order directing the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to undertake a survey of the Gyanvapi mosque complex including excavation. The mosque is located adjacent to Kashi Vishwanath temples.

Directing that the order of the Varanasi district court shall not be enforced till July 26, 05.00 pm, Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud, heading a bench also comprising Justice J.B. Pardiwala and Justice Manoj Misra asked the Solicitor General Tushar Mehta to inform the ASI to stop the survey work at Gyanvapi mosque complex.

The Solicitor General Mehta, appearing for Uttar Pradesh government, told the bench that it appears that the ASI is not carrying out any excavation as ordered by the district court and no excavation is contemplated for a week.

In the meantime, the court said that the Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee shall move the Allahabad High Court with its plea against the district court’s order.

The top court order stalling the survey of the masque complex till July 26 came in the course of a mentioning by senior advocate Huzefa Ahmadi seeking a stay of the July 21 order of the Varanasi court. Huzefa Ahmedi appeared for the Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee that manages Gyanvapi mosque.

The bench said that the Varanasi court order has been put on hold to give some “breathing time” to the Muslim side to approach the Allahabad High Court.