Varanasi, Dec 18 : The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) on Monday submitted the report of its scientific survey of Gyanvapi complex in a sealed envelope to the Varanasi district court.
Madan Mohan Yadav, one of the counsels of the Hindu side, said that ASI officers along with the agency’s counsel Amit Srivastava appeared before the court of District Judge Ajaya Krishna Vishvesha and submitted the scientific survey report in a sealed envelope.
The court accepted the report and fixed December 21 as the next date of hearing, he said.
Yadav said that raising objections over submission of the report in the sealed envelope, the counsels of the five plaintiffs arguing that the Supreme Court in its order passed on August 10 had nowhere mentioned to submit the report in a sealed envelope.
The counsels of the plaintiff submitted before the court that they should be provided to them. However the counsels of the Muslim side objected to this and argued that the survey report should not be brought in public domain.
It may be noted that on December 11 the ASI counsel had sought one weeks additional time to submit the report as its Superintending Archaeologist Avinash Mohanty had suffered from an
increase in blood pressure and could not appear in the court. The district court then granted an extension of one weeks time and ordered the report by December 18.
The Varanasi district court had on July 21 ordered for the scientific survey of Gyanvapi complex to ascertain whether the mosque was constructed on a pre-structure of Hindu-temple. The survey was carried out by ASI of the entire Gyanvapi mosque except the Wazookhana where a Shivling like structure was found during the court commission enquiry.
