Excavation face-off: Supreme Court of India shakes up Gyanvapi Mosque dispute

The Supreme Court of India deferred a scientific survey proposed by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) on the Gyanvapi mosque in Uttar Pradesh for two days. The ruling suspends a district court order from Varanasi following an appeal from the Gyanvapi Masjid Committee.

The Supreme Court provided the mosque’s management committee until July 26 to present their case to the Allahabad High Court against the lower court’s ruling, during which the site is to remain undisturbed. The dispute is centered around a claim by a group of Hindu petitioners who believe a shivling, a holy symbol in their religion, is located within the mosque’s grounds, a claim disputed by Muslim representatives who argue it is a fountain.

The mosque’s management voiced concerns that the proposed survey could involve excavation at the site, situated beside the renowned Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi. Despite these worries, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta assured the court that the ASI had not carried out any excavation work, nor were there plans to do so within the following week.

Supreme Court of India delays ASI survey on Gyanvapi Mosque. Photo courtesy of Oasis.54515/Wikimedia Commons.

The Supreme Court provided reassurances to the mosque’s management committee that no excavation would take place for two weeks, stating that the ASI was only conducting measurements and photography. Chief Justice of India, DY Chandrachud, confirmed this, reiterating that no excavation was planned for at least a week.

Vishnu Shankar Jain, the advocate representing the Hindu petitioners in the case, stated that the Supreme Court has suspended the District Court’s survey order and asked the Allahabad Court to reconsider the matter. The district magistrate of Varanasi confirmed they will comply with the Supreme Court’s order.