Update (August 3, 10:17 am): Allahabad High Court allows the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to conduct a survey of the Gyanvapi mosque complex in Varanasi.It is to ne noted here that the ASI survey was ordered by Varanasi High Court on July 21 based on a petition filed by four Hindu women.Allahabad High Court allows the Archaeological Survey of India to conduct a survey of the Gyanvapi mosque complex in Varanasi pic.twitter.com/ONYJhAipeJ— ANI (@ANI) August 3, 2023Allahabad High Court is expected to pronounce the decision on Archeological Survey of India (ASI) survey for Gyanvapi mosque today. The mosque is located right next to Kashi Vishwanath Temple.ASI followed the order given by Varanasi court on July 21 and started the survey, but it was stayed within few hours by Supreme Court after mosque committee approached them.During the appeal, the mosque committee had stated that because the building is over a thousand years old, any excavating may cause it to become unstable and eventually collapse. The committee has also claimed that any such poll would be against the law in regards to houses of worship.However, the institution had promised the Supreme Court that the survey would not change the building in any way, emphasising that not a brick has been removed nor is it planned. According to Indias Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, the survey plan solely entails measuring, photographic, and radar investigations.The petitioners were given permission by the court to appeal the decision to the Allahabad High Court. The high court had deferred its decision following a two-day hearing on the subject on July 26 and 27.
