Supreme Court refuses to pass interim status quo order on survey of Gyanvapi-Shringar Gauri complex

The Supreme Court on Friday refused to grant an interim order of status quo on the survey of the Gyanvapi-Shringar Gauri complex at Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh. The top court, however, agreed to consider listing the plea of a Muslim party against the survey of the Gyanvapi premises.

A bench headed by Chief Justice NV Ramana was told by senior advocate Huzefa Ahmadi, appearing for the Muslim side in the Gyanvapi mosque case, that a plea has been filed against the survey being conducted at the Varanasi site. "Let me see," the CJI said on the urgent listing of the plea.

"We have filed in relation to a survey which has been directed to be conducted in relation to the Varanasi property. This (Gyanvapi) has been a mosque since time immemorial and this is clearly interdicted by the Places of Worship Act," Ahmadi said. He said the direction to conduct a survey has been passed and an order of status quo be passed at the moment.