Gyanvapi Survey: Today marks the conclusion of the initial four-week deadline for the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to submit its report regarding the contentious Gyanvapi Mosque in Varanasi. In response to this, ASI has requested an extension of eight additional weeks to finalize the comprehensive survey.
The scientific survey, mandated by the Allahabad High Court, commenced on August 4 with the aim of determining if the mosque was constructed atop a pre-existing Hindu temple structure in the 17th century.
Media reports suggest that the extension request is due to the survey's incompleteness in reaching its conclusions within the initial timeframe.
Sudhir Tripathi, an advocate representing the Hindu side, voiced concerns about the survey's status, stating, "ASI may give a primary report but they should not submit the final report yet as the survey is incomplete.
There is a possibility that ASI may ask for more time from the court," Tripathi told ANI. Shubhash Nandan Chaturvedi, another lawyer representing Hindu litigants, concurred that the survey's completion is uncertain and ASI might request an extension of the deadline.
The scientific survey of the complex, adjacent to the Kashi Vishwanath Temple, commenced on August 4, following the Allahabad High Court's order, which permitted ASI to determine whether the 17th-century mosque was constructed over the remains of a pre-existing Hindu temple.
Advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain, also representing the Hindu side, ruled out the possibility of an out-of-court settlement in the Gyanvapi Mosque dispute, citing legal constraints.
The Hindu side in the Gyanvapi controversy asserts that there is a Jyotirlinga of Adi Vishweshwar that is 100 feet tall beneath it and that arrangements should be made for Lord Vishweshwar to be worshipped on a regular basis.
The Gyanvapi mosque complex is still the subject of debate since the Hindu side has demanded that all of the buildings in the complex be turned over to Hindus and that Muslim admission to Gyanvapi be prohibited.
Along with this, the Hindu side asserts that the mosque's dome should be destroyed.
