The Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee (AIMC), which oversees the Gyanvapi mosque in Varanasi, has lodged an objection in the Varanasi district court against four Hindu women’s application seeking the preservation of evidence found during the court-ordered survey of the mosque in May 2022 and the ongoing Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) survey.
The ASI has been conducting a survey in the barricaded area of the Gyanvapi mosque premises since August 4, excluding its sealed section, to determine if the 17th-century mosque was constructed over a pre-existing Hindu temple. The AIMC has countered the women’s claims, stating that no idols, articles, or artifacts were discovered during the court-mandated survey last year and that the claims in the application are baseless. The court has set the next hearing for Wednesday.