Varanasi: The fast-track court on Friday gave Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) an additional time of one week to submit its survey report on the disputed Gyanvapi mosque complex. The next hearing has been listed on January 25.
The hearing of the Gyanvapi case was scheduled in the court of Civil Judge Senior Division/ Fast Track court today. The High Court has already directed to complete the hearing within six months and the ASI had been asked to submit its survey report as evidence at the Varanasi court on January 19.
During the hearing today, on behalf of ASI, its lawyer gave an application asking for an additional time of seven days. In its application, ASI said that it is taking time to prepare the second copy of the report and requested court to grant an extra one week's time. Accepting ASI's application, court has given another seven days for preparing the report.
This apart, an application was given on behalf of Shailendra Kumar Pathak 'Vyas' to take the case forward by including his name as the first plaintiff in the main case. The hearing on this case too will be held on January 25.
Regarding this, plaintiff's lawyer Subhash Nandan Chaturvedi said that the Gyanvapi case was to be heard in the fast-track civil division court. The ASI was supposed to file its survey report in the court, but an application was given by their lawyer, Chaturvedi said.
After the death of Somnath Vyas, who had filed the case as the main plaintiff in the Gyanvapi case, his grandson Shailendra filed an application in the court, requesting to include his name in the case by presenting himself as Vyas's heir. In his application, Shailendra appealed to the court that he wants to join as a plaintiff in the case filed by his maternal grandfather.
At present, Vijay Shankar Rastogi is also prosecuting this case as a ward friend, but projecting himself as the right heir of his grandfather, Shailendra wants to have his name included as the first plaintiff.
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