Gyanvapi mosque case: Varanasi court to rule today on making ASI survey report public

A Varanasi court is scheduled on Friday to determine whether to unseal the ASI survey report on the Gyanvapi mosque complex and distribute copies to both Hindu and Muslim parties.

The Archeological Survey of India (ASI) had, on Wednesday, requested the court to withhold the public release of its report for at least an additional four weeks, as informed by Madan Mohan Yadav, the lawyer representing the Hindu side.

The Varanasi district court judge, A K Vishvesh, initially deferred the decision until Thursday. However, due to his prior engagement at an event, the matter was further postponed and is now set to be addressed on Friday.


Meanwhile, a fast-track court in Varanasi has instructed the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to present its survey report on the Gyanvapi mosque complex by January 19, reported TOI.

The court has mandated the ASI to share a copy of the report with the Hindu plaintiff involved in the original Kashi Vishwanath-Gyanvapi title suit before the specified date. This directive from Civil Judge Prashant Kumar precedes a scheduled hearing in the district judge's court, where the ASI is seeking a four-week extension to keep the contents of its sealed survey report confidential.

The petition highlights concerns about potential "rumors and misrepresentations in the public domain" that may arise if the survey report is disclosed before adhering to the high court's directive.

The 1991 lawsuit, contested as unmaintainable by the UP Sunni Central Waqf Board and the Gyanvapi mosque's management committee, invoking the Places of Worship Act, was dismissed by the high court in all five petitions.