Gyanvapi Dispute

The court also ordered ASI officials involved in the survey, besides the plaintiffs, defendants, and their advocates, district government counsel (civil) and other officials on Thursday not to share any information about the survey with the print, electronic and social media.

A bench, headed by CJI D.Y. Chandrachud and Justices J.B. Pardiwala and Manoj Mishra recorded the undertaking given by the Archaeological Survey of India that it will not make any excavation at the site during the survey.

Dismissing the Muslim side's plea that the survey may damage the structure, Allahabad High Court Chief Justice Pritinkar Diwakar said: "The survey is required to do justice. Survey needs to be done with few conditions. Do survey, but without dredging."  Earlier, the High Court had directed ASI not to carry out survey until hearing in the case is completed.

The Anjuman Mosque Committee moved the high court on Wednesday challenging the order of the Varanasi Court directing the ASI to survey the mosque premises (except for wuzukhana). 

A bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) D.Y. Chandrachud was informed by senior advocate Huzefa Ahmadi, appearing for the mosque management committee that the court while disposing of the application for interim relief had inadvertently ordered for disposal of the main plea as well. 

A bench comprising Chief Justice Of India D. Y. Chandrachud and Justices J. B. Pardiwala and Manoj Misra permitted the mosque management committee to move the Allahabad High Court to challenge the order passed by the Varanasi District Court. The apex court passed the above direction after noting that the order of the district court was pronounced at 4.30 p.m. on July 21.

The development comes days after the Varanasi court on Friday ordered an extensive survey of the barricaded area of the Gyanvapi Masjid, excluding its sealed section, by ASI to ascertain whether the mosque was built over a pre-existing Hindu temple, holding that the scientific investigation is "necessary" for the "true facts" to come out.

The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) will carry out the scientific survey of the complex, barring the Shivling. The Hindu side in the case had filed a petition seeking the court's direction to the ASI to survey the entire Gyanvapi mosque complex. The Hindu side is represented by lawyer Vishnu Shankar Jain.

The Hindu worshippers requested permission for daily worship of Hindu deities in the Gyanvapi mosque. The high court has rejected the mosque committee's challenge to the 5 Hindu women worshippers' suit pending before the Varanasi court. Last year in December, the bench of Justice J.J. Munir reserved its judgment after hearing counsel for both parties at length.

The Court had reserved the judgment on the matter on October 27. It may be noted that the suit has been filed by Lord Vishweshwar Virajman (Swayambhu) through their next-friend Kiran Singh, who is the international general secretary of Vishwa Vedic Sanatan Sangh (VVSS).