The scientific survey of the contentious Gyanvapi Mosque premises resumed in Varanasi on Friday amid tight security a day after the Allahabad High Court rejected the petition filed by the Muslim litigants seeking a stay on the Varanasi court's order for a scientific survey by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).
The ASI team had earlier started the work of scientific survey on July 4 after the Varanasi court's order but it stopped after around five hours following the stay granted by the Supreme Court on the survey and asking the Muslim litigants to approach the Allahabad High Court.
A single judge bench comprising Chief Justice Pritinker Diwaker had on Thursday ruled that the survey would continue and said that it was necessary in the ''interest of justice''.
The Supreme Court on Friday also rejected a petition seeking stay on the HC order stating that the ASI had assured that no damage would be caused to the structure during the survey work.
The ASI team, which started the survey work in the morning, stopped it around 12 pm to enable the offering of 'namaz' (prayers) by the Muslim community. The survey re-started after the prayers were conducted.
Tight security arrangements were made in the city and barricades were put up at several places leading to the Mosque. Slogans of 'Jai Shri Ram' were raised as the ASI team made their way into the Mosque premises.
The ASI has sought four weeks' time to submit its report to the Varanasi court. The ASI would conduct the survey of the premises barring the 'wuzukhana' (the area where the Muslims wash themselves before offering prayers).
The premises had been a bone of contention between the two communities for the past several decades but there was renewed clamor to ''take back'' the Kashi Vishwanath Temple premises by the saffron outfits after the favourable decision of the apex court in the Ram Temple case.
The Hindu petitioners contended that a part of the temple had been demolished by the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb in the 17th century. The Muslim side contended that the mosque existed before the reign of Aurangzeb and also claimed that the same had also been mentioned in the land records.