After allowing excavation to continue, the Supreme Court orders a halt to the ASI survey of the mosque complex until 5 p.m. on July 26. The Muslim side had petitioned the court to postpone the survey.
The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has begun a survey of the Gyanvapi mosque's blocked section, despite the mosque management committee filing a plea in the Supreme Court challenging an order by the Varanasi district judge allowing the operation.
The development comes just days after a Varanasi court ordered an extensive survey of the Gyanvapi Masjid's barricaded area, excluding its sealed section, by ASI to determine whether the mosque was built over an existing Hindu temple, holding that the scientific investigation is "necessary" for the "true facts" to be revealed.
The Hindu plaintiffs, their counsel, including Subhash Nandan Chaurvedi and Sudhir Tripathi, and defendants Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee joint secretary S.M. Yasin and their counsel met with Varanasi District Magistrate and Commissioner of Police Ashok Mutha Jain.
