Supreme Court denies to halt survey of Gyanvapi Mosque in Varanasi

The Supreme Court on Friday declined to halt the survey of the Gyanvapi Mosque in Varanasi, which is located next to the Kashi Vishwanath temple, saying that the matter would be handled later. The Supreme Court accepted to hear a Muslim party's appeal against the survey of the Gyanvapi premises.

Senior counsel Huzefa Ahmadi, standing for the Muslim side in the Gyanvapi mosque matter, informed a bench consisting of Chief Justice NV Ramana, judges JK Maheswari and Hima Kohli that a plea had been filed against the survey being performed at the Varanasi site. On the urgent listing of the plea, the CJI remarked, "Let me see."

"In relation to the Varanasi property, a survey has been directed." The Act on Places of Worship covers this. The court has now ordered a survey to be conducted by a court commissioner. "This has been a mosque since the beginning of time," Ahmadi explained.

This (Gyanvapi) has been a mosque since the beginning of time, and the Places of Worship Act plainly prohibits it, according to Ahmadi. He stated that the direction to conduct a survey had been given and that a status quo order had been issued.