Gyanvapi | Varanasi Court Restrains Parties/Counsels & ASI Officials From Sharing Survey Details With Media, Bars Media Coverage Of Unofficial Info

The Varanasi District Judge has prohibited the electronic and print media from publishing any 'unofficial news' about the ongoing ASI survey of Gyanvapi Mosque premises. The Court has further directed both parties to the Shringar Gauri Worshipping suit of 2022 and the ASI Officials to abstain from giving any statements regarding the survey to media..The order was passed by District Judge Ajay Krishna Vishwesha in an application filed by the Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee, which manages the Gyanvapi Mosque in Varanasi, to restrain the electronic and print media from publishing 'false news' about the ongoing ASI Survey of the Gyanvapi premises."Having heard both the parties, I am of the opinion that the nature of the survey work which is going on at the plot in question by the order of the court is sensitive. The ASI has no right to make any comment or give any information to the counsel for the plaintiffs or the counsel for the defendants regarding the survey. ASI officers are also bound to present the report of the survey only before the court and giving any information regarding the survey to print media, social media or electronic media is neither justified nor legal. Therefore, all the officers of ASI, who are doing the survey work, are ordered they will not give any information regarding the survey to any print media, social media or electronic media, nor any information regarding the survey and report about it only before the court," Court's order reads."Similarly, the plaintiffs and defendants and their advocates, district government advocates, civil and other officers are also ordered not to share any information regarding the survey with any print media, social media or electronic media, nor publicize it or disseminate so that the said report can be presented before the court only. If the print media, social media or electronic media wrongly publishes any news regarding the survey without official information, despite no information being provided by the ASI plaintiff side and the defendant side, then necessary action will be taken against them as per the law," the District judge has further ordered.Read the complete order here:#GyanvapiCase #GyanvapiMosque #GyanvapiSurvey #GyanvapiASISurvey #GyanwapiSurvey #VaranasiCourt pic.twitter.com/1jW4fFAqo4— Live Law (@LiveLawIndia) August 10, 2023The application by the Anjuman Committee was moved this week in the pending Shringar Gauri Worshipping suit of 2022 filed by 4 Hindu Women Worshippers seeking year-round access to worship inside the Mosque premises.The application states that the ASI or its officials have not made any statement pertaining to the ongoing survey, however, social media, print media and electronic media are arbitrarily spreading wrong and false news about it."They have been publishing and disseminating information related to the areas inside the mosque which have not been surveyed to date, due to which, there is a wrong impact on the daily life of the public and different types of things are being generated in the minds of the public and the enmity is spreading," the application adds.It may be noted that the ASI is presently conducting a scientific survey of the Gyanvapi complex in Varanasi as per the July 21 order of the Varanasi District Judge to determine if the mosque was constructed over a pre-existing structure of a Hindu temple. Today is the eighth consecutive day of the survey.On August 4, the Supreme Court refused to stop the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) from carrying out a survey of the Gyanvapi Mosque at Varanasi, except the 'wuzukhana' area where a 'shivling' was claimed to have been found last year.Taking on record an undertaking made on behalf of the ASI that no excavation would be done at the site and no damage will be caused to the structure, the Court allowed the survey to take place.The Court ordered thus while disposing of a petition filed by Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee (which manages the Gyanvapi Mosque at Varanasi) challenging Allahabad High Court order (of August 3) which permitted the ASI survey.On July 21, Varanasi District Judge directed the Director of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to conduct a “scientific survey” of the Gyanvapi mosque premises except for the area that was sealed earlier (wuzukhana) to find out if the same has been built over a pre-existing structure of a Hindu temple. This order was upheld by the Allahabad HC on August 3.

Gyanvapi | Varanasi Court Restrains Parties/Counsels & ASI Officials From Sharing Survey Details With Media, Bars Media Coverage Of Unofficial Info

Sparsh Upadhyay

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