The Muslim side representing the Gyanvapi mosque today remained absent from taking part in the scientific survey being carried out by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) team in Uttar Pradesh’s Varanasi. The 30-member ASI team reached Gyanvapi at 6.30 am. The report will be presented before the court on August 4. The Muslim side claimed that they did not receive any notice to participate in the survey from the ASI. On the other hand, the ASI team earlier briefly halted the survey while waiting for the Muslim side. However, the survey resumes as no one from the Muslim side turned up. The Hindu side petitioners had reached the mosque earlier in the morning and are participating in the survey.
The Muslim side represented by the Anjuman Intezamia Masajid Committee cited their plea in the Supreme Court against the Varanasi District Court order allowing the scientific survey. Muslim side’s lawyers Mumtaz Ahmed and Rais Ahmed said, “We have filed a petition in the Supreme Court. We will proceed as per the order of the Supreme Court. Only yesterday, we told the DM that we will not participate in the survey.”
The mufti of the Gyanvapi Masjid, Abdul Batin Nomani claimed that had the survey been being held tomorrow, the Muslim side would have participated in it. He cited two reasons for the absence, first, no notice for participation from the ASI and second, their petition in the Supreme Court against the survey. “We didn’t receive any notice regarding the ASI survey. How can we participate when there is Supreme Court hearing in the same case today? We had requested postponement of the survey by a day,” said Nomani.
Advocate Subhash Nandan Chaturvedi representing the Hindu side said that the result of the survey will be favourable to Hindus. While speaking to reporters, Subhash Nandan Chaturvedi said, “We are sure that the whole premise is of temple only. The result of the survey will be favourable to us.”
Notably, a Varanasi Court on Friday gave directions to conduct an ASI survey of the Gyanvapi mosque complex, excluding the ‘Wazukhana’ area which has been sealed.
The petition was filed in May this year by five women who in another plea had earlier sought permission to pray at the “Shringar Gauri Sthal” inside the shrine complex. A structure — claimed to be a “Shivling” by the Hindu side and a “fountain” by the Muslim side — was also found on May 16 last year during a court-mandated survey of the mosque located next to the Kashi Vishwanath temple..
Bureau Report
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