Gyanvapi committee moves SC against Varanasi court’s order for ASI survey

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NEW DELHI: In the Gyanvapi dispute case, the Muslim side on Monday moved the Supreme Court against the Varanasi court’s order for an ASI survey.

Senior counsel H Ahmadi mentioned the matter before a Bench led by CJI DY Chandrachud and urged the court to stay the order.

Ahmadi told the court that the ASI had already started digging the place.

CJI Chandrachud asked Solicitor General Tushar Mehta to instruct the ASI not to do any excavation before it took up the matter later in the day.

Senior counsel Shyam Divan, representing the Hindu side, said the Varanasi court order specifically excluded the wazukhana at which the top court had ordered a status quo to be maintained.

The Solicitor General told the court that not even a brick had moved and that only the survey was going on. Mehta said only measurements, photography and radar imaging were being carried out at the site. No excavation is contemplated at the site at least for the next one week, Mehta said.

The Supreme Court said the petitioners should move the Allahabad High Court against the Varanasi court order.