The email that was sent to alumni a couple of days ago purportedly gave detailed instructions on how to change the location, which had drawn sharp criticism from a section of alumni and social media users.
District Judge A K Vishvesh ordered that it would continue to hear the petition seeking the right to worship in the temple.
The petitions filed by the Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee (AIMC) and the Uttar Pradesh Sunni Central Waqf Board had also challenged a Varanasi court order of April 8, 2021 to conduct a comprehensive survey of the Gyanvapi mosque.
The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) began working on a scientific survey of the Gyanvapi premises in Varanasi on Friday to determine whether the 17th-century mosque was constructed over a pre-existing structure of a Hindu temple.
The photocopies have to be verified by the district judge, the high court said.
With the surge in tourist footfalls to Varanasi in 2022, it almost rivals the arrivals in Agra and puts it way ahead of Prayagraj and Ayodhya.
The court said the modalities of the survey will be discussed at the next hearing on December 18.
Underlining the Bharatiya Janata Party's commitment to cultural development of the country, party president J P Nadda on Monday said that contentious religious matters would be decided by "courts and the Constitution" and the party would implement the decisions in letter and spirit.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday attended the Dev Deepawali Mahotsav at the Ghats of Varanasi. Modi witnessed the spectacle of Dev Deepawali in which rows of lamps were lit on the bank of Ganga.
'Why were they silent when over 128 temples and shrines including Shivlings were broken down at the time of the construction of the Kashi Vishwanath corridor?' a Varanasi resident asks Rashme Sehgal.
At present the people are allowed to worship once in a year only, he submitted before the court.
Advocate Madan Mohan Yadav, who is representing the Hindu petitioners, said, "The report in sealed cover was placed before the court by the ASI's standing counsel Amit Srivastava."
To maintain law and order, he said, the entire city has been divided into sectors which have been allocated police force as per their requirement.
A court in Varanasi on Friday directed the Archaeological Survey of India to conduct a "detailed scientific survey" -- including excavations, wherever necessary -- to determine if the Gyanvapi mosque located next to the Kashi Vishwanath temple is built upon a temple.
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 Banaras Bar Association and Central Bar Association, Varanasi had decided to boycott work as they were upset over the remarks of a Special Secretary against lawyers because of which the hearing did not take place in the court, according to advocate Abhay Yadav, representing the Muslim side in the case.
What some of our leaders were up to on the weekend.
The inauguration of the state-of-the-art infrastructure surrounding the historic Kashi Vishwanath Temple near the iconic Dashashwamedh Ghat comes ahead of the assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh early next year.
The plaintiffs submitted that the exact nature of the 'Shivling' can be determined after removing the artificial/modern walls/floors surrounding it and by undertaking a survey of the entire sealed area by excavation and using other scientific methods.
Katiyar, however, made it clear that a final decision on these contentious matters will be taken by saints.
There are no riots and curfew in Uttar Pradesh now and all is good, he asserted.
The survey was stalled last week amid objections by the mosque committee, which claimed that the advocate commissioner appointed by the court for the survey did not have the mandate to film inside the premises.
The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear on April 14 a plea by the Anjuman Intezamia Masjid committee seeking permission for wazu (ritual ablution) at the Gyanvapi mosque complex in Varanasi during the month of Ramzan.
The police had made strict security arrangements with heavy deployment of forces at gate number four of the Kashi Vishwanath temple, from where 'namazis' were allowed to enter,
Here's a look at the pictures.
Mishra said that the court has fixed July 7 for the next hearing.
The Allahabad high court on Friday ordered authorities to determine the age of the Shivling-like structure inside the Gyanvapi mosque in Varanasi using modern technology.
It's a temple and we cannot impose any dress code for pilgrims," it was stressed.
Stating that matters of utmost public importance are coming up for discussion next week, the Whip issued by the Opposition's Chief Whip in the assembly Ajay Dharam Singh has asked all the members to mandatorily participate in the proceedings from December 20-24, from the beginning till conclusion.
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Friday visited Prime Minister Narendra Modi's constituency, meeting activists held during protests against the amended Citizenship Act and accusing the government of acting against the Constitution.
"It's my destiny to serve Maa Ganga," Prime Minister designate Narendra Modi told Varanasi after an hour-long ceremony on the banks of the scared river.
After eggs, ink was thrown at Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal while he was undertaking a road show in Varanasi on Tuesday following his visit to the Kal Bhairav and Kashi Vishwanath temples.
A fresh plea seeking permission to worship the "Shivling" claimed to have been found on the mosque premises during a videography survey ordered by a lower court was also filed.
"We agree with the Supreme Court that this matter is complicated and this requires a serious and experienced judge. Court has said the district court will look into it. We agree with the Supreme Court," he said.
Priyanka Gandhi and other leaders, including Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, waved at the large crowd as the procession wound its way through Varanasi's roads.
The Supreme Court agreed to hear on Friday a plea challenging the Allahabad high court order of conducting a 'scientific survey', including carbon dating, to determine the age of a 'Shivling' which was said to have been found at the Gyanvapi mosque complex in Varanasi.
'Aurangzeb supported construction of the Kumarswamy math and the reconstruction of the Kedar temple and supported the Jangambadi math in Banaras.'
'We have devotion towards Gyanvapi so doing something as per that, it's all right. But why look for a Shivling in every masjid?'
The petition seeks the court's permission for worshipping the idols of the Hindu deities located on an outer wall of the mosque on a daily basis.
In view of the Supreme Court's order to the lower court not to proceed with the matter till Friday, it fixed May 23 for the next hearing, Madan Mohan Yadav, the lawyer representing the Hindu side, said.
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