As the four-week deadline given by a Varanasi court for the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to finish its examination in the Gyanvapi complex came to a close on Saturday, attorneys representing Hindu plaintiffs mentioned that the ASI might request an extension from the court and could provide an initial report.
Sudhir Tripathi, an advocate representing the Hindu side, said they think “the survey is not completed yet”.
“ASI may give a primary report but they should not submit the final report yet as the survey is incomplete. After lunch, the court will hear the matter. There is a possibility that ASI may ask for more time from the court,” Tripathi told ANI.
Shubhash Nandan Chaturvedi, who is also a lawyer representing Hindu plaintiffs, noted that the Varanasi district court’s four-week timeframe for the ASI to conclude its investigation concludes on Saturday.
“We think that the survey is not completed yet and ASI may make a request to extend the date,” he said.
The scientific examination of the complex, located near the Kashi Vishwanath Temple, began on August 4, following an order from the Allahabad High Court. This order permitted the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to conduct the survey with the aim of determining whether the 17th-century mosque was constructed on the site of a pre-existing Hindu temple, excluding the ‘wuzukhana’ area.
Previously, Advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain, who also represents the Hindu side, stated that reaching an out-of-court settlement in the Gyanvapi Mosque matter “is not legally feasible.” He made this statement in response to a letter from Jitendra Singh Bisen, the international president of the Vishwa Vedic Sanatan Sangh, proposing the possibility of an out-of-court resolution for the Gyanvapi case.
“…in matters related to the country and society, where a representative suit is filed involving the entire society, even if one person or party wants to settle alone, they cannot. So this initiative for an out-of-court settlement is not possible…as it is not legally possible,” Jain said.
On August 3, the Allahabad High Court rejected the petition filed by the Muslim party, the Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee, which contested the Varanasi court’s decision to permit the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to perform a scientific examination of the Gyanvapi mosque area. Last month, the Supreme Court also declined to halt the ASI’s “scientific investigation” of the Gyanvapi premises in Varanasi.
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