Prayagraj, May 5 (PTI) Allahabad High Court on Monday adjourned hearing on a plea seeking an ASI survey of the ablution pond area in the Gyanvapi mosque complex.

It set July 4 as the next date of hearing after being informed of an interim Supreme Court order restraining courts across the country from passing directions on lawsuits relating to religious places.

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The petition in the high court challenged a Varanasi district judge's order refusing to direct the Archeological Survey of India (ASI) to undertake a survey of the 'wazukhana (ablution pond)' area except the structure the Hindu side claims to be a Shivling and the Muslim side describes as a fountain in the Gyanvapi mosque complex.

In her petition, Rakhi Singh pleaded that the survey was necessary in the interest of justice.

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It shall benefit the plaintiffs and the defendants alike and help the court arrive at a just decision, according to the plea.

The ASI survey is necessary so that the religious character of the property can be determined, it was said.

A scientific survey of the complex has already been conducted by the ASI and the report submitted to the Varanasi district judge.

The survey was conducted in accordance with a July 2023 order of the district judge to determine if the mosque was built over a pre-existing structure of a Hindu temple.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)