The Allahabad High Court, on Thursday, upheld a Varanasi court’s order allowing the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to conduct a survey of the Gyanvapi mosque complex, and dismissed the Muslim side’s petition challenging the survey.
After the Varanasi district court ordered the survey last month, it was challenged in both the Supreme Court and the High Court by the Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee which governs the mosque.
Chief Justice Pritinker Diwaker said that the Varanasi court was justified in ordering the ASI survey and that the scientific survey is necessary in the ‘interest of justice.’
The ASI survey, ordered on July 21, was initially stayed by the Supreme Court. The Allahabad High Court too had stayed the survey, till August 3.
The counsel for the Hindu side said the Allahabad High Court stated the survey of the Gyanvapi mosque complex can now start.
The High Court also ordered for early disposal of all the cases pertaining to worship rights at the mosque.
A group of activists, along with one of the Hindu petitioners in the Gyanvapi mosque case, had filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) petition in the Allahabad High Court, seeking a direction to the Uttar Pradesh government to seal the entire mosque premises so that ‘non-Hindu’ people cannot damage any religious signs or symbols of the Hindu community present inside the mosque.
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