There was a mixed reaction to the Allahabad High Court verdict allowing ASI survey of Gyanvapi mosque on Thursday.

UP BJP State President Bhupendra Singh Chowdhary has welcomed the decision of the Allahabad High Court on the Gyanvapi case. He said everyone should cooperate while accepting the decision of the court. He hoped the truth would come out from the survey.

He said whatever is being reflected directly in Gyanvapi is a historical reality and a matter related to the faith of crores of people. Everyone should understand and accept the historical reality of Gyanvapi. There is full respect for the process of the court, he said.

State Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya said, “I welcome the order. I am sure that the truth will come out from the ASI survey and this dispute will also be resolved.”

Senior advocate Harishankar Jain said there were innumerable evidence which suggested that it was a Hindu temple.

“The facts will come out from the ASI survey. I am sure the real ‘Shivling’ is hidden there under the main dome. To hide this truth, they (Muslim side) are repeatedly raising objections. They know that after this mosque will not exist and the way will be cleared for a grand temple to be built there,” he said.

Samajwadi Party MP Dr. S T Hasan said the decision of the court should be accepted. “No damage should be done to that monument during the survey. Whatever is the decision of the survey, we will accept it, but this decision will have to be accepted by all the parties. Our country today is in great need of communal harmony and national integration. None of us should make such statements which widen the gap,” he commented.

National Conference (NC) President Farooq Abdullah said that whether it is a temple or a mosque, it is the same. Whether you see him in a temple or a mosque, there is no difference.

AIMPLB member Maulana Khalid Rasheed Farangi Mahali said, “We are hopeful that justice will be done as this mosque is about 600 years old and Muslims have been there since then.”

He claimed Namaz has been offered there for the past 600 years. “We also want the Places of Worship Act to be implemented in all the places of worship in the country. The Muslim side will consider going to the Supreme Court to challenge this order,” he added.

On Thursday, the Allahabad High Court gave green signal to the ASI survey of Gyanvapi Masjid complex. On July 21, the Varanasi district judge ordered the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) survey of Gyanvapi. On this, the Muslim side first challenged the decision of the survey in the Supreme Court and then in the high court.

Now, the Allahabad High Court has rejected this petition of the Muslim side. It said the survey of the Archaeological Survey of India is necessary in the interest of justice. It needs to be implemented with some conditions.