Gyanvapi Mosque Survey Report Submitted In Court By Archaeological Body

The Gyanvapi mosque survey report - in a white cloth - was submitted to a district court in Uttar Pradesh's Varanasi Monday. The sealed document - it is unclear if it will be made public, or shared with either the Hindu side or the Muslim petitioners - was submitted by the Archaeological Survey of India, or ASI.

The next date of hearing has been fixed for Thursday.

The ASI had taken six extensions to file its findings, citing a vast amount of data that had to be studied and analaysed. On November 2, it said it had "completed" the survey, but asked for more time to compile the report, including submitting details of equipment used during the survey.

The survey of the Gyanvapi mosque premises, excluding its sealed section, began in August. It was meant to check if the 17th-century mosque was constructed over a pre-existing Hindu temple.

The survey started after the Allahabad High Court upheld the Varanasi court order. The High Court said the survey was "necessary in the interest of justice" and would benefit both sides in the dispute.

The Gyanvapi mosque committee then moved the Supreme Court against the High Court's order but, on August 4, refused a stay; a bench led by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, however, directed the ASI to not carry out invasive acts, which ruled out excavations the Varanasi court had cleared.

This was after the mosque management committee claimed the ASI was digging in the basement and other places of the 354-year-old complex without permission, posing a risk it might collapse.