Varanasi’s district court has granted a partial extension to the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), allowing them to withhold the public disclosure of the Gyanvapi mosque complex survey report for an additional four weeks. The court has scheduled January 24 as the next hearing date for multiple petitions linked to the ASI survey report.
The court’s decision followed an application filed by ASI representatives, represented by Standing Counsel Amit Kumar Srivastava, seeking an extension to delay the public release of the report. Srivastava stated, “The court has partially allowed our plea and fixed January 24 as the date for the next hearing.”
Expressing its stance, the court deemed it appropriate to defer the resolution of four associated pleas until after the ASI submits its survey report in original suit No. 610/1991 before the civil judge (senior division) at FTC Varanasi. Consequently, the court directed the file to be presented on January 24 for further consideration on the applications.
ASI initially filed the application on January 3, leading to an order initially set for January 4. However, subsequent court dates were fixed for further deliberation, delaying the final decision. The ASI’s obligation arose from an Allahabad High Court directive instructing the submission of the sealed report to the civil court (senior division), fast track court (FTC) in Varanasi.
Having initially submitted the survey report under seal on December 18, ASI faced subsequent legal directives. On December 19, the Allahabad High Court directed ASI to furnish the report on scientific investigation/survey work in the civil court (senior division), FTC Varanasi.
Further complicating matters, on January 4, the civil judge (senior division) at the fast track court, Varanasi, directed ASI to provide the same scientific survey report of the Gyanvapi mosque complex, submitted to the Varanasi district court on December 18, by January 19.
The ongoing legal saga surrounding the ASI’s report on the Gyanvapi mosque complex underscores the complexities and legal intricacies involved, contributing to the extended deliberation period by the courts in Varanasi.
Sources By Agencies
