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Setting aside the objections of the mosque committee, the Allahabad High Court has allowed the Archeological Survey of India (ASI) to conduct a survey in the Gyanvapi premises at Varanasi. On Thursday Justice Preetinkar Diwakar of the single bench of the High Court declined to stay the order of survey.
The court said that a survey is necessary for justice. Earlier the district session court of Varanasi had ordered ASI to survey the Gyanvapi premises. The Anjuman Intezamia Committee of Gyanvapi mosque had approached the Supreme Court against this order. The apex court while staying the survey had asked the committee to approach the High Court. Now the High Court has rejected the petition of the mosque committee and asked the ASI to follow the orders of the session court.
Vishnu Shankar Jain, representing the Hindu side in Gyanvapi survey case told ANI that “Allahabad High Court has said that ASI survey of Gyanvapi mosque complex to start. Sessions court order upheld by High Court.”
The High Court in its order has said that this survey is necessary for justice but with certain conditions. It said that there would be no excavation during the survey. It may be mentioned that both the Hindu and Muslim parties had argued on the petition seeking stay on the survey in the last week of July after which the High Court had reserved the judgement on July 27.
The Gyanvapi Mosque Intezamia Committee has decided to challenge the order of the High Court in the Supreme Court. The counsel for mosque committee Mumtaz Ahmad said that after reading the copy of judgement, he would approach the Supreme Court. However the advocate for the Hindu petitioners, Vishnu Shankar Jain said that the High Court has allowed the survey and asked for immediate implementation of the session court order. Senior advocate Hari Shankar Jain said that the ASI survey would find out the facts about the premises.
Reacting on the verdict of High Court, Deputy Chief Minister of UP, Keshav Prasad Maurya said that the Gyanvapi dispute is like the Ram Janambhoomi and survey will reveal the truth about it, The vice-president of All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB), Maulana Khalid Rasheed Firnagimahali, said that survey will provide justice as the mosque is 600 years and Muslims have been offering prayers here regularly. Samajwadi Party leader and MP, ST Hasan said that he would accept the verdict of the court.
Meanwhile the district administration of Varanasi convened a meeting with the ASI on Thursday soon after the High Court verdict came. The Police Commissioner, District Magistrate and senior officials were present in the meeting. The security at the Gyanvapi premises have been beefed. The administration has deployed 1600 security personnel in the 500 meter radius of the Kashi Vishwanath temple and Gyanvapi.
