'have patience…': hindu side as asi's gyanvapi mosque survey in Varanasi underway. top updates

LAWyERS said the primary stage of the court-ordered survey of Gyanvapi mosque has been finished and secondary stage was underway with “machines”.

A team of 55 members from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) resumed the scientific survey of the Gyanvapi mosque complex on Sunday morning to determine if the 17th-century masjid was constructed over a preexisting structure of a Hindu temple. A heavy police force was also deployed in the area before the arrival of the ASI team.

Rapid Action Force personnel outside the Gyanvapi Mosque complex in Varanasi on Sunday.

(Rajesh Kumar/HT)

Rapid Action Force personnel outside the Gyanvapi Mosque complex in Varanasi on Sunday.

(Rajesh Kumar/HT)

Lawyers said that the primary stage of the court- ordered survey of the Gyanvapi complex has been finished and the secondary stage was underway with “machines” including radars.

The survey was halted at 12.30pm for two hours as Muslim devotees will offer prayers in the mosque.

TOP UPDATES ON THE GyANVAPI MOSQUE

COMPLEX SURVEy By ASI:

1. Advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain and advocate Subhash Nandan Chaturvedi, representing the Hindu side in the Gyanvapi case, are present in the survey.

2."Have patience. It is the fourth day of the survey. The ASI is doing its work in a very fine way. Differential Global Positioning System (DGPS) was used yesterday. The ground penetrating radar machine will be used for survey in the coming time," said Jain said. "We are satisfied with the survey and the Muslim side has no complaints and they also cooperating," he added.

3. The scientific survey of the complex, adjacent to Kashi Vishwanath Temple, excluding Wuzu Khana, resumed on Friday, following Allahabad high court's order, which allowed the ASI to conduct the survey, to determine if the mosque was built on a preexisting temple.

4. Plaintiff number 1 Rakhi Singh's advocate Anupam Dwivedi said, "This ASI survey is different from that was done by advocate commissioner last year (in May 2022). In that survey, whatever was visible was mentioned in the report. No one was allowed to touch anything. The ASI team is doing the survey in a scientific manner. The team is collecting evidence, without any digging and without causing any harm".

5. On Sunday, the ASI team is likely to conduct the survey under the domes of the mosque premises. At present, the survey was going on in the south basement of Gyanvapi where the team conducted the survey on Saturday afternoon.

6. Earlier on Saturday, Sudhir Tripathi, another advocate representing the Hindu side, said that the scientific survey will clear everything. "We want people to cooperate in the survey and get it completed as soon as possible. We are showing full cooperation and involvement. They have come at the direction of the Supreme Court. We welcome it. We want the matter to be resolved soon. The survey will clarify everything," the lawyer said.

7. The Allahabad High Court on Thursday dismissed the plea filed by the Muslim party, Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee, challenging the Varanasi court order allowing the ASI to conduct a scientific survey of the Gyanvapi mosque premises, except the 'Wazukhana' area where a “Shivling” was claimed to have been found last year. The Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee had challenged the Varanasi District Judge's July 21 order.

8. On July 21, Varanasi district judge AK Vishvesha ordered the ASI survey of the Gyanvapi complex on an application moved by four Hindu women on May 16. The order of the district judge, however, excluded the Wuzu Khana (ablution pond area) of the complex, which has been sealed on the order of the Supreme Court.

9. Earlier on Friday, the Supreme Court declined to stay the ASI survey of the Gyanvapi mosque premises in Varanasi.

10. The Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee had challenged the high court order allowing ASI to conduct a scientific survey by ASI of the Gyanvapi mosque premises.

NDA partner Kuki People's Alliance (KPA) withdraws support from N Biren Singh government in Manipur, PTI reported. The Kuki People's Alliance has two MLAs in the Manipur Assembly, Kimneo Haokip Hangshing from Saikul and Chinlunthang from Singhat.

The BJP has 32 members in the Manipur Assembly, while it has support of five NPF MLAs and three independent legislators.

The opposition legislators include seven from the NPP, five from the Congress and six from JD(U).

KPA's decision to walk out of the ruling alliance comes at a time when the government headed by Biren Singh continues to be under fire over its inability to control the violence which has killed more than 160 people.

“After careful consideration of the current conflagaration, the continued support for the incumbent government of Manipur led by chief minister N Biren Singh is no longer fructuous. Accordingly, the support of the KPA to the Government of Manipur as hereby withdrawn and can be considered null and void”, a leader to governor Anusuiya Uikey read.

Violent clashes had erupted in Manipur after a ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ was organised in the hill districts on May 3 to protest against the Metei community's demand for scheduled tribe (ST) status.

The clashes erupted after tensions over the eviction of Kuki villagers from the reserve forest land. Meiteis account for about 53 per cent of Manipur's population and live mostly in the Imphal Valley. On the other hand, tribals like Nagas and Kukis constitute another 40 per cent of the population and reside in the hill district.

CONGRESS intensifies call to reinstate Rahul Gandhi as MP after Supreme Court stays his conviction,

The Congress has intensified its call to reinstate Rahul Gandhi as a member of Parliament after the Supreme Court stayed his conviction in a criminal defamation case. While it took less than 24 hours to notify Rahul Gandhi's disqualification from the lower house when he was sentenced to two years in jail, the Lok Sabha secretariat is yet to issue a notification restoring Gandhi's MP status after the apex court's Friday order.

Congress general secretary KC Venugopal said that Gandhi should be in Parliament on Monday as a “natural consequence” of the court order, asserting that the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party cannot “drag its feet” anymore.

“Sh.@RahulGandhiji’s conviction was stayed on Friday. As a natural consequence, he should be in Parliament tomorrow. The

BJP cannot drag it's (sic) feet anymore, over 48 hours have passed since the Supreme Court verdict,” Venugopal posted on X, formerly Twitter.

“Any further delay in issuing the necessary notification will be going against the spirit of the SC order. As the SC rightly noted, his disqualification is not a personal matter but something that impacts the democratic rights of the people of Wayanad.”

Earlier today, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut claimed the Union government was afraid of Rahul Gandhi and that is why the Congress leader is yet to be reinstated as Lok Sabha MP.

"The swiftness with which he was disqualified as MP is not being seen after the SC staying the conviction.

Three days have passed but the Lok Sabha Speaker is yet to reinstate him," Raut told reporters.

A copy of the Supreme Court order has been formally handed over to the Lok Sabha Secretariat, Congress leader in the Lok Sabha Adhir

Ranjan Chowdhury said on Saturday.

Chowdhury too conveyed his disappointment over the Lok Sabha Secretariat’s response to his request that Gandhi should be immediately reinstated, so that he can participate in the no-confidence motion against the Modi government, which begins on August 8.

“The speed with which he was disqualified, it is important to reinstate him with the same speed. I called up Speaker sahib last night and told him that I want to submit the court documents to you to facilitate Rahul Gandhiji’s return to the House. He then advised me to call him up this morning,” Chowdhury told reporters at a press conference.

A Lok Sabha official told HT that the process to reinstate Gandhi’s membership is likely to start on Monday.

The Congress party has called for a meeting of its Lok Sabha MPs in the party's parliamentary office at 10:30am tomorrow.