Supreme Court Halts Varanasi District Court Order in Gyanvapi Case until 26 July, Mosque Committee Directed to Approach Allahabad HC

The Supreme Court has issued a stay on the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) survey to determine whether the Gyanvapi mosque in Varanasi was built upon a temple. The stay will be in effect until 5 pm on 26th July. The court has also instructed the mosque committee to approach the Allahabad High Court in the meantime.

Senior advocate Huzefa Ahmadi, representing the mosque committee, presented their submissions before the bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud, leading to the stay on the ASI survey. Vishnu Shankar Jain, representing the Hindu side in the case, expressed opposition to the stay, stating that the truth of Gyanvapi can only be revealed through the ASI survey. He further mentioned that the High Court will decide the matter on its own merit, unaffected by any observations of the Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court asked the ASI not to conduct any excavation until 11.15 am and requested Solicitor General Tushar Mehta to provide information about ASI's survey methods. SG Tushar Mehta assured the court that no invasive work or excavation was planned or executed; the current activities involved measurements, photography, and radar scans, which would not impact the structure.

Previously, the Varanasi Court directed an ASI survey of the Gyanvapi mosque complex, with the exception of the sealed 'Wazukhana' area. The ASI team had arrived at the Gyanvapi Mosque for a scientific survey adjacent to the Kashi Vishwanath temple.