SC halts ASI's survey at premises till 5 pm on July 26, asks HC to hear mosque panel's plea
Gyanvapi row
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court on Monday halted a "detailed scientific survey" of the ASI to determine if the Gyanvapi mosque located next to the Kashi Vishwanath temple in Varanasi was built upon a temple till 5 pm on July 26 and asked the Allahabad High Court to hear an appeal filed by the mosque committee before the expiry of its order.
A Varanasi court directed the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) on Friday to conduct the survey -- including excavations, wherever necessary -- to determine if the mosque was built at a place where a temple existed earlier.
A bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud took note of the submissions made by senior advocate Huzefa Ahmadi, who appeared in the court on behalf of the mosque committee, stayed the operation of the order till Wednesday evening and asked the committee to file an appeal in the meantime.
"We are of the view that some breathing time should be granted to the mosque committee," said the bench that also comprised Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra.
"We permit the petitioner (mosque committee) to move the high court under Article 227 (writ jurisdiction of high courts), challenging the order of the district judge of Varanasi, having taken regard of the fact that the order was passed at 4:30 pm on July 21 and the ASI survey is being carried out today.
"To permit them some breathing time, we direct that the district court order shall not be enforced till 5 pm on July 26. If the petitioner moves the high court, the registrar-judicial of the high court shall ensure that it is placed before a roster (a bench) so that it is heard before the status quo order ends," the bench said in its order.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who was representing the Uttar Pradesh government, took instructions and informed the bench that the ASI is conducting photography and radar-imaging at the site and presently, no invasive or excavation work is underway.
Earlier, the bench said it will hear the plea during the day.
The mosque's "wazookhana" (a small reservoir for Muslim devotees to perform ritual ablutions), where a structure claimed by the Hindu litigants to be a "Shivling" exists, will not be part of the survey, following an earlier Supreme Court order protecting that spot in the complex.
District Judge A K Vishvesh has directed the ASI to submit a report to the court by August 4, along with video clips and photographs of the survey proceedings.
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Sudan’s civil war worsens: Forced mass displacement, widespread starvation, rampant sexual violence
Khartoum: Sudan’s ongoing civil war has led to a severe humanitarian crisis, characterised by widespread hunger, forced displacement, and staggering levels of sexual violence. It has resulted in the world’s largest displacement crisis this year, as reported by the UN’s International Organisation for Migration (IOM) this week.
The conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has resulted in thousands of deaths and displaced millions from their homes. The UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for Sudan, as cited by Al Jazeera, said that paramilitaries are targeting the female population. Mohamed Chande Othman, Chair of the Fact-Finding Mission, stressed that there is currently no safe place for women and girls in Sudan due to the rising incidents of abduction for sexual slavery.
Meanwhile, over 14 million people have been displaced in Sudan and more than half of those displaced are women, with over a quarter being children under five years old. In some areas, children are reportedly dying from starvation, and the recent rainy season has worsened the crisis by causing flooding and additional displacement.
Furthermore, the UN food agencies have warned of deadly hunger levels in 16 "hunger hotspots," with particular concern for the Palestinian territories, Sudan, South Sudan, Mali, and Haiti. In South Sudan the number of people facing starvation and death are projected to have nearly doubled from April and July 2024 compared to the same period last year.
IOM Director-General Amy Pope emphasised that this is easily the “most neglected crisis in the world” today and requires greater attention. She stated that millions are suffering, and there is a serious risk of the conflict igniting regional instability from the Sahel to the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea.
“Hunger, disease and sexual violence are rampant. For the people of Sudan, this is a living nightmare,” she asserted.
