Gyanvapi verdict: Varanasi Court to present ASI scientific report today

Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh) [India], December 21 (ANI): The Varanasi district Court will present the Archaeological Survey of India’s (ASI) scientific report on the Gyanvapi mosque survey today.

In the Gyanvapi Shringar Gauri case, today the Hindu side will present its objection in the court on the application of Anjuman Arrangements Masjid Committee’s plea asking the judge to present the ASI report in a sealed cover which according to the Hindu side is a clear ‘violation’ of the Supreme Court judgement.

The Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee on Monday asked the Court not to give the ASI report to any party to which the Hindu side is objecting.

Hindu side lawyer Subhash Nandan Chaturvedi said that the Supreme Court in its order dated 4 August stated that the report will not be filed in a sealed envelope.

“An application of the Muslim side is also before the Court that the report be filed in a sealed envelope and this be not disclosed in public domain until the report is disposed, we objected to it on 18th December and mentioned that the Supreme Court in its order stated that the report be not filed in a sealed envelope. So, the Court had given today’s date and the hearing will be taken up today. It will be heard if the report will be submitted in an open or sealed envelope,” Hindu side lawyer Advocate Subhash Nandan Chaturvedi said.

Earlier, Hindu side lawyer Advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain claimed that the survey report being presented in a selaed envelope is a “violation of the Supreme Court order” and said that the Hindu side has filed an application in the district court and sought a copy of the report.

“We have moved an application before the district court that we must be supplied a copy of the report, and there cannot be a gag order on the media that you cannot talk about this report. If the district court does not pass an order, which is in consonance with the law, we’ll file an appeal before the Supreme Court,” he said.

Notably, the ASI team conducted the survey in the Gyanvapi complex for 92 days and submitted the sealed survey report to the court. Earlier, in August this year, the Allahabad High Court allowed the Archaeological Survey of India to conduct a survey of the Gyanvapi mosque complex in Varanasi.