News Brief
ASI Submits Gyanvapi Survey Report To Varanasi Court
The Gyanvapi complex. (Wikimedia Commons).
The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) on Monday (18 December) submitted the survey report of the disputed Gyanvapi mosque complex a district court in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh.
Amit Srivastava, the standing counsel for the Archaeological Survey, submitted the sealed report to the judge, NDTV reported.
The extensive survey, conducted over 100 days, has witnessed multiple extensions, with the ASI seeking additional time to compile the report.
Concluding nearly two months ago, the survey excluded the Wuzukhana area, as per the Supreme Court's orders sealing the region.
Despite completing the survey on 2 November, the ASI requested further time to organise the report and detail the equipment used in the process.
Initiated on 4 August, the survey was ordered by a Varanasi court on 21 July, in response to a petition by four women seeking permission to pray at the Shringar Gauri Shrine, located behind the western wall of the temple.
The court's decision in April of the previous year mandated a video survey of the complex, revealing a structure in the Wuzukhana area claimed by petitioners to be a 'shivling.'
Allegations by activists suggest that a temple existed at the site, purportedly demolished in the 17th century under the orders of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb.
Notably, the mosque is situated adjacent to the iconic Kashi Vishwanath temple.
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