Supreme Court Halts Gyanvapi Mosque Case Survey Pending Further Review

The Supreme Court has ordered a pause in the Archaeological Survey of India's (ASI) scientific survey/excavation at the Gyanvapi mosque site in Varanasi until Wednesday, allowing the Muslim side to appeal against the district court's order. The court directed the petitioner to move the Allahabad High Court and ensured that the appeal is heard before the expiry of the Supreme Court's status quo order. The ASI declined to commit to stopping work on its own, leading to the court's restraint order. The ASI assured that no excavation work would be carried out for at least a week, with only measurement, photography, and radar imaging being undertaken.