The Varanasi court handling the Gyanvapi case clarified on Wednesday that while the hard copy of the survey report on the Gyanvapi mosque will be provided to the petitioners and other involved parties, it will not be made public immediately. The sealed survey report was submitted to the court nearly a month ago.
The court's order is expected later in the day, after which parties involved must apply to the court for access to the survey report. Once the applications are submitted, the report will be photocopied and distributed to the concerned parties. The report's public release may take up to a week.
The survey report plays a pivotal role in the Gyanvapi case, where the Hindu side contends that the mosque was constructed over a temple and asserts the right to worship at the site.
The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has been conducting the survey on the Gyanvapi mosque premises since August 4 of the previous year, excluding the Wuzukhana area, sealed by the Supreme Court's directive.
Wuzukhana serves as an ablution pond for worshippers to cleanse themselves before prayer. The ASI's exclusion of this area is in compliance with the Supreme Court's order. The historical significance of wazukhana lies in its provision for devotees to perform ablutions before prayers in the absence of proper water pipelines.
After multiple deadline extensions, the ASI submitted the survey report to the court, following its order on July 21. The directive was issued in response to a petition by four women seeking to determine whether the prominent mosque was constructed after demolishing a Hindu temple.
In April of the previous year, the court had ordered a video survey of the complex based on the petition. The May survey revealed a structure in the Wuzukhana that the petitioners identified as a 'shivling'. The unfolding developments in the Gyanvapi case highlight the legal complexities surrounding the historic site and the quest for a resolution to the longstanding dispute.
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