The Varanasi district court on Thursday granted the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) an additional 10 days to complete and submit a scientific survey report of the Gyanvapi complex.
In response to the ASI’s plea for three more weeks to submit the report, District Judge A K Vishvesh expressed hope that the ASI would complete the task on time and would not seek further extensions, as stated by counsel for the Hindu side, Madan Mohan Yadav.
Yadav mentioned that the court scheduled December 11 as the next hearing date in the matter.
The court had considered the ASI’s plea moved on Tuesday, where they sought an extension of three weeks to submit the survey report of the Gyanvapi mosque complex. The ASI cited the need for additional time to assimilate information generated by various experts.
Initiated on August 4, the ASI’s survey focused on the barricaded area of the Gyanvapi premises, excluding its sealed section. The court had issued orders for the survey to determine whether the 17th-century mosque was constructed over a pre-existing structure of a Hindu temple.