Don’t disclose Gyanvapi survey report for 4 weeks, have to submit its copy to FTC: ASI urges Varanasi court
The ASI had submitted the survey report in a sealed cover to the district court on December 18. On December 19, the Allahabad high court directed the ASI to submit the report on the scientific investigation/ survey work in the civil court (senior division), fast track court, Varanasi
The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) on Wednesday filed an application in the Varanasi district court, praying it to not make its Gyanvapi mosque complex survey report public for at least four more weeks as it (ASI) has to submit a copy of the sealed report in the court of civil judge (senior division), fast track court (FTC), Varanasi, in compliance with the order of the Allahabad high court.
The ASI had submitted the survey report in a sealed cover to the district court on December 18. On December 19, the Allahabad high court directed the ASI to submit the report on the scientific investigation/ survey work in the civil court (senior division), fast track court, Varanasi. On behalf of the ASI, Centre’s standing government counsel Amit Srivastava filed the application.
“In a sealed cover, the report on scientific survey was submitted before the court on December 18. Following the order of the Allahabad high court, We have to submit the same report in the civil court, senior division, fast track court, Varanasi in the suit number 610: Ancient Idol of Swayambhu Lord Vishweshwar Vs Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee and Others. Therefore, we prayed to the court to defer or adjourn the proceedings with regard to the opening and discloser of tthe sealed survey report submitted by ASI for four weeks,” Srivastava said. The court heard the plea and fixed January 4 as date for the order, he added.
The Varanasi district court on Wednesday fixed January 4 as the date for the order on three applications. They include one by the Anjuman Intezamia Masajid Committee (AIMC) seeking an order that a report on the scientific survey of the Gyanvapi mosque should be kept in a sealed cover and not be given to any of the parties unless a personal undertaking on an affidavit is submitted that it will not be leaked to anyone.
AIMC, which manages the Gyanvapi mosque, filed this application whereas another was filed by four Hindu women plaintiffs’ advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain, both on December 18.
“We have prayed to the court that the report on scientific survey of Gyanvapi mosque should be kept in a sealed cover and should not be given to any of the parties unless a personal undertaking on an affidavit is submitted that it will not be leaked to anyone,” said Akhlaque Ahmad, counsel for AIMC.
On December 21, the AIMC filed another application in the Varanasi district court, urging it if it reaches the decision that a copy of the survey report should be given to Jain at his email ID, a copy of the same should also be provided to AIMC counsel Akhlaque Ahmad at his email ID.
Ahmad, who filed the application on behalf of the AIMC, said, “On behalf of (four) women plaintiffs in the Shringar Gauri-Gyanvapi case, their counsel Vishnu Shankar Jain filed an application in the court, urging it that a copy of the survey report should be sent to Jain’s mail id on Gmail. We object to the application. But if the court reaches a decision that the survey report can be sent on mail, we prayed to the court to pass an order to send the ASI survey report on the mail id of counsel for the AIMC also.”
On December 18, Jain filed an application on behalf of the four Hindu women plaintiffs in the Varanasi district court, seeking a copy of the survey report.”By filing an application, we have prayed to the court to provide a copy of the survey report to us,” Jain said. On December 18, the ASI filed the report scientific survey of Gyanvapi mosque in a sealed packet before the court of district judge Ajaya Krishna Vishvesha, standing government counsel Amit Srivastava, who appeared for the ASI, had said.
In another sealed packet, the ASI team submitted a list of objects found during the survey. The Gyanvapi mosque’s scientific survey resumed amid tight security on August 4 after the Allahabad high court on August 3 vacated a stay and gave the go-ahead for the exercise. The Varanasi court had initially ordered the survey on July 21.
