Varanasi District Court sets January 3 as next hearing Date on Gyanvapi Mosque Survey Report

The Varanasi District Court has fixed January 3 for the next hearing on the Gyanpavi mosque survey report. The Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee (AIMC) requested that the report be sealed and not shared without the confidentiality undertaking. AIMC also urged that if the report is sent via email to one party, it should be sent to their counsel as well. Vishnu Shankar Jain, representing Hindu Women Plaintiffs, sought a copy of the report.

Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh):The Varanasi district court will hear three applicants three applications, including one submitted by the Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee (AIMC) on January 3.

The AIMC, which manages the Gyanvapi mosque, had filed an application with regards the report on the scientific survey of the mosque be kept in a sealed cover and not disclosed to any party unless an affidavit assures its confidentiality.

Akhlaque Ahmad, AIMC's counsel, underscored the importance of maintaining the report's confidentiality.

He disclosed the court had fixed January 3 as the hearing date. The AIMC also submitted another application urging if the decision is made to submit a copy of the report to Vishnu Shankar Jain at his email ID, a copy should also be sent to Akhlaque Ahmad at his email ID.

Ahmad, stated, "We objected to the application filed by counsel Vishnu Shankar Jain on behalf of the four women plaintiffs in the Shringar Gauri-Gyanvapi case, seeking a copy of the survey report. However, if the court decides to send the survey report via email, we have requested the court to ensure that the report is also sent to the AIMC counsel's email."

Vishnu Shankar Jain, who represents four Hindu women plaintiffs, confirmed their application filed on December 18, seeking a copy of the survey report from the court.

On December 18, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) submitted the Gyanvapi scientific survey report in a sealed packet before the court of district judge Ajaya Krishna Vishvesha. Amit Srivastava, the standing government counsel representing ASI, made the submission.

The ASI team shared a list of objects which were discovered during the survey in a separate sealed packet. The ASI had previously informed the court of completing the survey on November 2, requesting 15 days to prepare the report. Subsequently, the court granted an extension until November 17. However, on November 18, an additional 10 days were granted, setting the deadline for the report submission to November 28. The ASI later sought a further three-week extension, filing an application for the same.

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