Allahabad High Court has given 10 days time as the last opportunity for the Archaeological Survey of India to file a counter affidavit.
New Delhi: The Allahabad High Court on Tuesday gave 10 days time as the last opportunity to the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to file a counter affidavit in the Kashi Vishwanath Temple-Gyanvapi Masjid case. This permission to file a counter-affidavit was given with the condition of payment of Rs 10,000 to the Legal Services Committee.
request for at least six weeks
This amount is required to be deposited on or before 31st October 2022, the next date of the hearing. Justice Prakash Padia passed this order while hearing a petition filed by Anjuman Intejamia Masjid in Varanasi. On ASI's request for more time to file a counter affidavit, the court said, "The matter was heard again. Meanwhile, senior advocate Shashi Prakash Singh and advocate Manoj Kumar Singh, appearing for the ASI, said. Requested to give at least six weeks' time."
'Rs 10,000 to be deposited with the Legal Services Committee
The court said, "Since this civil suit is pending in the civil court at Varanasi since 1991, in the interest of justice, as the last opportunity, 10 days time is given to file the counter affidavit subject to the condition that the Legal Services Committee has 10,000 will be deposited." Earlier on September 28, the High Court had stayed till October 31 a Varanasi court order directing the ASI to conduct a survey of the Kashi Vishwanath Temple-Gyanvapi Masjid.
There has been a demand to restore the ancient Kashi Vishwanath temple
The petitioner, Anjuman Intejamiya Masjid, which is the management committee of Gyanvapi Masjid in Varanasi, had filed this petition in the Allahabad High Court challenging the maintainability of the original suit filed in 1991 in the district court of Varanasi. The original suit sought restoration of the ancient Kashi Vishwanath temple at the site where the Gyanvapi Mosque currently exists. The petitioners have claimed in this suit that the said mosque is part of the temple.