ASI seeks another four weeks’ time to complete survey in Gyanvapi mosque case

The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) on Wednesday filed an application in the court of the Varanasi district judge, seeking an additional four weeks' time after the deadline of October 6 for continuing the scientific survey in Gyanvapi Mosque complex and submitting its report, an official said.

The court fixed Thursday as the date of hearing.

"We prayed to the Varanasi district court to grant additional four weeks' time after October 6 for performing survey in Gyanvapi mosque complex and submitting its report before the court," said Amit Kumar Srivastava, standing government counsel for the Union government, who filed the application on behalf of ASI.

The Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee (AIMC), which manages Gyanvapi mosque, received a copy of the application, its counsel Akhlaque Ahmad confirmed.

On September 8, the court of the Varanasi district judge had granted another four weeks' time to the ASI to complete scientific investigation and survey of the Gyanvapi mosque complex.

The court had ordered the ASI to submit the survey report before it by October 6.

The court of district judge Ajay Krishna Vishvesha passed the order on ASI's plea seeking an additional eight weeks' time for submitting the report.

Earlier, on August 5, the court of the Varanasi district judge granted an additional four weeks to ASI to submit a report on the Gyanvapi mosque's scientific survey that resumed amid tight security on August 4 after the court, on August 3, vacated a stay and gave the go-ahead for the exercise. 

The Varanasi court ordered the ASI to submit a report up to September 2.

The Varanasi court had initially ordered the survey on July 21 and asked for submission of the report by August 4.

In compliance with that order, the ASI had conducted the survey for over four-and-a-half hours on July 24 after which the Supreme Court the same day (July 24) halted the exercise till 5 p.m. on July 26 and granted liberty to the Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee to approach the Allahabad High Court.

When the mosque committee moved the high court on July 25, it extended the stay on the survey. 

The high court gave its ruling on August 3 and allowed the exercise to go ahead.