Prayagraj (Uttar Pradesh), Aug 19 (TIWN) The Allahabad High Court has directed the Centre and the state government to file their respective responses to a petition challenging a Varanasi court's order which directed the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to conduct a comprehensive survey of the Kashi Vishwanath Temple (KVT)-Gyanvapi Mosque complex in order to find out whether a temple was demolished to build the mosque that stands adjacent to the KVT.

Justice Prakash Padia passed the order on two petitions filed by UP Sunni Waqf Board and Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee, the management committee of the Gyanvapi Mosque, while fixing September 28 as the next date of hearing in the case.  According to the petitioners, the April 8 order directing the ASI to conduct the survey of the land was passed illegally and without jurisdiction.  The petitioners further said the local court’s ruling came even as the Allahabad high court reserved its judgment on the maintainability of the suit pending in the former. 

“The high court had reserved the verdict on the issue of maintainability of the suit. The court below should not have passed any order in the suit till the issue of maintainability of the suit was decided by the high court,” said senior counsel SFA Naqvi.