A Varanasi court on Saturday scheduled January 24 for deciding whether to make public the sealed Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) report on the Gyanvapi mosque complex and provide copies to the involved parties.
District Judge A K Vishvesh issued this order, as confirmed by Madan Mohan Yadav, counsel for the Hindu side. Representatives from the Hindu and Muslim sides, along with the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), were present during the court proceedings.
The court stated that a decision on making the ASI report public will be reached after the hearing in the matter before the Civil Judge Senior Division Fast Track Court, scheduled for January 19, 2024. On January 3rd, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) requested the Varanasi court to refrain from disclosing its survey report on the Gyanvapi mosque complex for at least an additional four weeks. The ASI had submitted its survey findings in a sealed cover to the district court on December 18, 2023.
The court had ordered the survey in response to petitioners’ claims asserting that the 17th-century mosque was constructed atop a pre-existing temple.
The ASI conducted a scientific survey of the Gyanvapi premises, located adjacent to the Kashi Vishwanath temple, with the aim of determining whether the mosque was built over the remains of a pre-existing Hindu temple structure. Following the district court’s directive on July 21, the survey aimed to thoroughly examine beneath the mosque’s domes, within the cellars, and along the western wall.
The court specified that the ASI should scrutinize the plinth and pillars to determine the building’s age and nature. Additionally, the court directed the ASI to ensure that the structure on the disputed land remained unharmed during the investigative process.