The Allahabad High Court, after intensive hearing for two days, has reserved its judgement till August 3 while extending the stay on the ASI survey of Gyanvapi premises excluding the Wajukhana till the verdict.
Hearing on the petition filed by the Muslim side on Wednesday continued on Thursday in the bench of Chief justice Pritinkar Diwakar.
The court, after completing the hearing, fixed August 3 for the verdict. The Chief Justice bench also extended the stay on the survey of the Gyanvapi campus till August 3.
Earlier, the Supreme Court had asked the Muslim side to approach the high court on their objections to the Varanasi district judge order of scientific survey by the ASI.
On Thursday, counsel for the Muslim side initiated the argument. ASI’s Additional Director Alok Tripathi also appeared in the court. The counsel for the Muslim side filed a reply to the ASI’s affidavit.
Additional Director Alok Tripathi informed that the ASI will do GPR survey only and will not dig. The building will not even be scratched in the survey, he said.
Uttar Pradesh’s Advocate General Ajay Kumar Mishra said it is the responsibility of the government to maintain law and order in the state. If the survey starts immediately then they will need additional security forces.
The Muslim side said that it is absolutely necessary to decide the point of maintainability of such civil suits. Without fixing the legal point of maintainability, the survey is wrong. They said that the issue of maintainability is pending with the Supreme Court. On this, the Hindu side said that the matter should be resolved soon.
Similarly on Wednesday, during the hearing, the advocates from both the Hindu and Muslim sides recorded their arguments formally. Scientists from the ASI also appeared before the high court for the same.