Owaisi expresses hope ASI report on Gyanvapi won’t lead to ‘thousand Babris’

On Friday, the Supreme Court declined to grant a stay on the Allahabad High Court's order, which permits the ASI to conduct a scientific survey at the Gyanvapi mosque complex.

Hyderabad: AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Saturday wondered how things will pan out after the Archaeological Survey of India reports are made public after the investigation and hoped that the floodgates for a “thousand Babris” (Babri Masjid) will not be opened. The Supreme Court on Friday refused to stay the Allahabad High Court order allowing the ASI to conduct a scientific survey at the Gyanvapi mosque complex to determine if the 17th century structure was built upon a pre-existing temple, notwithstanding the assertion by the Muslim side that the exercise will “reopen wounds of the past”.

He said in a tweet one hopes that neither the incidents of “December 23 nor December 6” will repeat and the observation of the Supreme Court in the Ayodhya judgement regarding the sanctity of the Places of Worship Act must not be dishonoured.

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“#Gyanvapi ASI reports are made public, who knows how things will pan out. One hopes that neither 23rd December nor 6th December will repeat. The observation of the Supreme Court in the Ayodhya judgement regarding the sanctity of the Places of Worship Act must not be dishonoured. The hope is that the floodgates for a thousand Babris will not be opened,” Owaisi tweeted.

A bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra asked the ASI not to take recourse to any invasive act during the survey.

The bench took note of the submissions of Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the ASI and the Uttar Pradesh government, that no excavation will be carried out during the survey nor any destruction caused to the structure.