Gyanvapi case: Varanasi District Court to hear petitions from the Hindu side today

The Varanasi District Court will hear petitions from the Hindu side in the Gyanvapi case on Wednesday. The Hindu side has sought an evidence room to protect the evidence collected during the ASI survey, in addition to reserving the Gyanvapi mosque premises amidst objections by the Muslim side regarding the ASI's use of machines and equipment to conduct the survey.

Subhash Nandan Chaturvedi, an advocate from the Hindu side spoke to news agency ANI and said, "Our main point in today's hearing will be that the evidence collected by the ASI during the survey should be kept in an evidence room."

ASI grants 8 more weeks to complete survey of Gyanvapi mosque 

Meanwhile, The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has been granted eight more weeks of extension to complete the survey of the Gyanvapi Masjid complex on Friday. The Varanasi court on Friday extended the time period by eight more weeks following which the ASI will continue its further scientific survey in the mosque complex. The ASI had filed a petition on September 2 seeking an extension of the time, after the completion of the survey period. 

The government counsel has confirmed the news about the grant of an extension of time period. As per the information, the court, while hearing the petition, dismissed the mosque management committee's objection and granted the additional time period to the ASI.

The team is now carrying out a scientific survey at the mosque complex to determine whether the 17th-century mosque was constructed on the structure of a Hindu temple. The Gyanvapi mosque premises is located beside the Kashi Vishwanath temple in Varanasi.   

This comes a day after the mosque committed objected and stopped the team of ASI to conduct the survey at the mosque complex citing that the survey will only be allowed after the court’s order.